Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the NBA's Next GOAT?

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

Does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Have GOAT Potential? As crazy as that might seem, it’s not too far off from being the truth. Whether you think the GOAT is LeBron James or Michael Jordan, SGA is on track to have a real shot at being in that conversation.

Let’s start smaller: is he even the best player in the league right now? Don’t get me wrong—Nikola Jokić is a special player. However, he isn’t a better basketball player than Shai. Just look at team success. The OKC Thunder, led by SGA, finished the regular season with a 68–14 record and went on to win the NBA Championship. The Denver Nuggets, led by Jokić, had a 50–32 record and lost in the second round (to OKC).

Now, you might think the Thunder just have a way better team—and they do. However, Shai had a total plus/minus of +918, compared to Jokić’s +594 (which is still nuts and the second-best in the league). The Thunder had a -0.39 net rating (non-garbage time minutes) with Shai off the court. Conversely, they had a +16.0 net rating with him on the floor. For the Nuggets, they had a -4.5 rating without Jokić and a +5.4 with him. That 9.9-point swing is crazy, but not as crazy as the 16.39-point swing that Shai provides.

Now let’s look at defense. Nikola Jokić had a defensive rating of 110.7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a rating of 107.4. That might not seem like a huge difference, but it’s rare for a guard to have a better defensive rating than a big. The Thunder had a historic defense this past season, which wouldn’t have happened without Shai being a true two-way star.

How about the main part of basketball—scoring? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a generational scorer, whether you like it or not. If you’re a casual, you probably think he’s a free-throw merchant based on what you see on social media, but I’m not going to waste time getting into that. Shai led the league in scoring with an average of 32.7 points per game last season. Nikola Jokić averaged 29.6. However, per 36 minutes, SGA averaged 34.4 points, while Jokić’s average drops to 29.0. I’ll give Jokić credit—he’s a generational passer for a big man, and his rebounding numbers are better, but I’d hope so, considering he’s a 7-foot center. There’s a lot more we could dive into, but this article isn’t even mainly about this debate, so all I’ll say is: watch the games.

Let’s Talk Legacy. LeBron James won his first NBA Championship at 27 years old, in his 9th season. Michael Jordan won his first at 28, in his 7th season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just won his first championship at 26, in his 7th season.

Let’s compare the three players after their first seven seasons:

LeBron James

• 1 MVP

• 5× All-Star

• 2× All-NBA First Team

• 1× All-NBA Second Team

• 1 scoring title

Michael Jordan

• 1 MVP

• 1 Championship

• 1 Finals MVP

• 1 DPOY

• 5× All-Star

• 5× All-NBA First Team

• 5× All-Defensive First Team

• 5 scoring titles

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

• 1 MVP

• 1 Championship

• 1 Finals MVP

• 3× All-Star

• 3× All-NBA First Team

• 1 scoring title

So, he’s on pace to surpass LeBron (Bron obviously has the longevity) but is definitely not on MJ’s level accolades-wise—yet. Statistically, however, he’s very similar. In Jordan’s 7th year, he averaged 31.5 PPG (54% FG), 6 RPG, and 5.5 APG. Compare that to Shai’s 32.7 PPG (52% FG), 5 RPG, and 6.4 APG—and you’ll see Shai isn’t far off. Not to mention, like it or not, the talent in today’s NBA is far better than when Jordan played.

What Comes Next?

Michael Jordan has six career NBA Championships. LeBron has four. Shai and the Thunder are in a perfect position to build a dynasty and potentially reach those numbers. It’s much harder to have a dynasty in today’s NBA—with the new CBA and the league’s talent level—but if anybody’s going to do it, it’s the Thunder. And Shai won’t have to keep switching teams to win, like LeBron did. He has everything he needs to go on a historic run in OKC.

They’ve got Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren locked up, amazing role players, one of the best coaches in the league, a million draft picks from the best front office in sports, an elite culture, and the best fanbase in the NBA. The tools are there.

They call him "Maple Jordan” for a reason. The similarities between SGA and MJ are real—from both being 6’6” score-first guards to each being paired with an elite two-way wing (Scottie Pippen & Jalen Williams). If he continues putting in the work like he already does—and maintains the killer mentality he showed in the 2025 postseason—I don’t see a reason he won’t go down as one of, if not the, greatest players in NBA history.

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