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By Robert Marvi
Contributing Sports Writer
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Ever since the 1990s, Michael Jordan has been the standard of individual greatness in the NBA. He dominated most of the decade by leading the Chicago Bulls to six championships and two separate three-peats, and during his 15 seasons in the league, he won five regular-season MVP awards and six NBA Finals MVPs while leading the league in scoring a record 10 times.
Many still consider Jordan the greatest basketball player who has ever lived, and plenty of superstar guards and wings over the last 20 years have been compared to him. That includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who is the NBA's reigning regular-season and finals MVP, as well as last season's scoring champion.
In a recent interview, Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear that while he appreciates the comparisons, he also doesn't like them for a couple of reasons.
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“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t flattering,” Gilgeous-Alexander shared. “Being in a conversation with a guy like that, who is the face of basketball, is pretty insane.
“Honestly speaking, I don’t really love them [the comparisons], just because he’s three-peated twice. What he did for the sneaker business, everything he’s been to the game, I think it’s a disservice to compare me, seven years in, to what he’s been.”
“I don’t love them, but I appreciate them. Just because it’s greatness at the highest form, and that’s what I’m after. That’s what I’m chasing, and that’s what I’m striving for.”
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While it is debatable if Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the best player in the NBA, there is no doubt that he is at a personal peak these days. His Thunder are the defending world champions and are also strong favorites to repeat as champions. They have a 42-14 record, which is the best record in the Western Conference and just barely behind the Detroit Pistons for the league's best mark, and their defense continues to be one of the best anyone can ever remember seeing.
The 27-year-old Canadian is averaging 31.8 points on 55.4% field-goal shooting and 39% from 3-point range, 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists a game, and he's the clear favorite to win another MVP award this season. If all this holds up, Gilgeous-Alexander would complete a two-year run that would rival anything Jordan ever did at his peak.
However, Jordan was a roundball predator who had an ultra-commanding presence on the court, not just for his opponents but also for his teammates. As great as Gilgeous-Alexander is — and he's undeniably a great player — he seems to fall a bit short of His Airness in that category, as do most other superstars both past and present.
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Gilgeous-Alexander also isn't the marketing phenomenon Jordan was back in the day. The Bulls legend pitched many products, including his own line of Nike sneakers, Gatorade and Coca-Cola, and the Thunder's leading man simply doesn't have the same business portfolio or name recognition among people who aren't hard-core basketball fans.
He does, however, appear to have many excellent years left, which means he can end up putting together a rather impressive resume and legacy of his own once it's all said and done.
For more on the Thunder and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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