Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named 2024-25 Kia NBA MVP | NBA on TNT Interview | OKC Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named 2024-25 Kia NBA MVP | NBA on TNT Interview | OKC Thunder

doesn’t and he is um he is ready uh to talk to us uh just moments after the announcement was made and uh SGA uh Ernie Johnson here with Shaq and Charles and Kenny and Draymond Green and uh we congratulate you number one. Nice going. Very happy for you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it fellas. So who was with you when you got the news? all my teammates behind me, my family, my wife, my son, my brother, my close ones. Um, yeah, the the the group of people that helped me get here. Um, look, you’ve finished fifth before, you finished second last year. How much did you actually think about it when it came down and everybody’s talking about well, it’s one two with you and Joker. How much did you allow yourself to think about the possibility of being the MVP? Yeah, you you try so hard throughout the season to like not think about it and just worry about playing basketball and getting better and trying to win games. Um, but as a competitor and as a kid dreaming about the game, you it’s always in the back of your mind and I’m very thankful to be this side of the I guess the ballot. Um, but none of it’s possible without the guys behind me. The amount of games we won in the fashion that we won the games is is is so impressive and it’s probably the main reason why I get the award. So without them it’s it’s not possible. Shay Sha here, I took a lot of flack last year for saying you should have won it last year. I felt you got robbed last year. So being that I said that, did you have some animosity towards the voters last year and say, you know what, I’m going to show the world that I’m the greatest player in the NBA. Um I to be honest with you, I use it as motivation. Um there’s voters every year that will never change. Um, and last year all it meant that all it meant was that more people thought I shouldn’t have won than than should have won. And this year I wanted to change the narrative and have it it flipped and I and I think I did a good job of that and that’s why I get the award. Shay Draymond, uh, congratulations. just wanted to ask you a couple years ago um you’ve been there since 2019 Trey you you came there from the Clippers and a couple years ago it started to seem that you had turned that corner and was becoming a 28 30 night uh a 30 a night guy and the team was still kind of coming along and there started to be a little chatter on like man is it time for Shay to force his way out of there force himself to a situation where he could compete at for a championship level never heard an inkling of come from you you embraced it the entire entire time. Just talk to me about that journey of growing with drafting guys, growing with guys, and then you kind of being the old head there and showing your guys the way to go and finally getting to this point. Yeah, I I always like to focus on the things that I can control. Um, and I think that’s how I got to this point. So, all the chit chatter and what’s going on in the league I have no control over. So, I just try to keep my head down, work super hard, and the guys around me do the same thing. and it made it easy to grow, easy to get to this point because of that. I think that mentality is going to help us keep growing in the in the future. Well, Shay, number one, congratulations, man. You guys have had a fabulous season. Your depth on your team is incredible. I watched that game last night. Who the hell is number 34 who came out there and start kicking butt last night? Cuz I didn’t see him a lot. I didn’t see him a lot against Denver and all of a sudden I says, “Man, that number 34, I ain’t seen him.” And he is flat out balling. Hey. Hey man. That’s Uncle Kenny. Hey, he was flat out balling, man. I just tell him I was like, man, they How do coach How does coach Cuz coaching has something to do? Your coach is fantastic. How do he keep your guys so sharp? Because if you’re not playing, but when they call your number, you’re ready. How does coach keep him and the rest of the guys who didn’t play a lot against Denver, now all of a sudden in the biggest game of the season, he come in and he’s flat out balling. Yeah. Co coach does a really good job of that. Like the first meaning every year he comes in and he says nobody gets stuck with the lineup. It’s going to change all the time. Sometimes you’re going to play, sometimes you’re going to not you’re not going to not play. And he’s upfront with guys. And when when he does that, it gives guys a slate and they understand what’s to come for the rest of the season. And we have no choice but to be ready. We know that all across the board, no matter who you are, we uh just control what we can control. K works every day whether he’s playing or not. And when the time comes, he’s ready for it. You know, firstly, congratulations, Shay. Uh great award. You know, we got two guys who’ve actually won the award up here with with Shaquille and and and Charles and then myself and Draymond have been teammates for guys who’ve won a that award. And as a teammate, you know, we always felt that that we were part of that. as you see your guys behind you, you know, in this journey when you look back, you you there’s probably two or three guys that you go, man, they’ve seen the best and they seen the worst. And even, it’s funny because Shay, when when Hakee Liz won the award, he made us take the award and hold it for him. And so, who are those guys that have seen you at your best and your worth that has gone through this journey? Some of the guys are new and some of the guys have been there uh for a longer time. Yeah, to start I’m gonna have to say Lou. Like Lou Lou was with me my first year in OKC. So the last six years. Um he was on the team when we were winning 10 games a season to 25 games to 40 to now 68 70. Um he’s seen the best version of me, the worst version of me, the pissed-off version of me, the happy version of me. Um we’ve been through thick and thin in the NBA. Uh and to have him on a journey has been special. Last thing, uh, SGAA, would you be interested in knowing the, uh, uh, the tally and and how this how this went with a with the vote count? Can I can I ask Lou D a question? Hold on one second. I’m I’m trying to get the results. I’ve got an important question for L D. No, Chuckster, please. Go ahead. Go ahead, Shay. 100 100 voters. You got 71 first place votes to 29 for Joker and then uh second place votes you just reverse those numbers but the final tally 913 to 787. So it was believed to be supposed to be one of the closest of all time but that is not the way it turned out. Now do you have a question for Lou Dort? Yes Shay I saw this stat. Lou Dort has never made a alldefensive team. That’s crazy. Yeah, we’re going to Yeah, we’re going to have to change that pretty soon. I mean, I said I said a couple weeks ago, he’s the best perimeter defender in the NBA. He’s the best perime. And when I saw that stat, I said, “This dude ain’t never made an alldefensive team.” That’s one of the worst stats I’ve ever seen, man. So, you tell that young guy, “Congratulations and keep doing this thing.” I will. I will for sure. Without him, we’re not the defense we are, and we all know that. Uh, the proof is in the pudding, and he’ll get what he deserves pretty soon. and tell Kenrich Williams we know who he is. Uh and and the last thing the last thing, look, we’ve seen a million postgame interviews with you guys this year. And it’s never been this sedate. It’s never been this quiet. These guys are usually all over you. Is this the way it was when you heard the word, too? Yeah, they’re they’re keeping it tamed right now, but uh we’ll go up here in a few minutes. A few minutes. Shay Gilis Alexander, happy for you. Congratulations. Congratulations. Hey, see you in the finals. Tell that dude with the white wristband, he ugly. Right behind you over Thanks. We appreciate

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