NBA – New MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s surprising admission: «None of that at home»

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a dominant player this season for Oklahoma City, was awarded the MVP award. The Canadian recently revealed the key to his success: he imposes a strict rule on himself at home.

2024-25 was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s crowning year, and it may not be over yet. The Thunder are heading into the NBA Finals against the Pacers and have a chance to win their first NBA title, having failed to do so against the Heat in 2012-13. A victory would further cement the guard’s legendary status in Oklahoma City, which he has already earned at the age of 26.

Alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Canadian has indeed become one of the greatest players in franchise history. Like them, he was voted MVP this season after averaging over 30 points for a third consecutive year, finishing as the league’s top scorer with 32.7 points per game. All this while finishing with the best record in the NBA with OKC (68-14).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks about his life away from the court

These achievements are not the product of chance, but rather the result of a lot of work put in outside of matches. SGA leaves no stone unturned in training and works hard, but to avoid burning out, he also tries to distance himself from his profession as much as possible when he’s at home. Here’s what he said at the press conference:

Honestly, I completely plug out. I turn my TV off so there’s no basketball highlights going on, I don’t watch basketball. I just spend time with my family and my friends and I try to completely remove myself from basketball, because it consumes so much of my life in my day. And then when it’s time to plug back into it, I’m eager to get back into it like I missed it.

While some players are entirely dedicated to basketball, even in their private lives, SGA prefers to focus on his loved ones when he’s not wearing his jersey. It’s a way for him to maintain his passion for his sport and allow him to be 100% committed when the game starts.

Clearly, the method is paying off, as he’s coming off the best season of his career, putting up stats not seen since Michael Jordan in his prime. This shows the Canadian’s outrageous dominance on the court, and if the Thunder were to win the title, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were voted Finals MVP.