Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes his production, efficiency and recent success make him the best player in the NBA.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star made the claim in an interview with Time magazine, pointing to his sustained statistical production and winning record over the past several seasons.
“I think I’m the best player in the NBA,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think the production that I have night in and night out is best-player-in-the-NBA production. I think the efficiency that I do it at is best-player-in-the-NBA efficiency… I’ve done my fair share of winning in these past couple years.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself as one of the NBA’s most productive players since becoming a full-time star in Oklahoma City. He averaged 31.4 points per game in 2022-23 before posting 30.1 points and 6.2 assists in 2023-24, when he finished second in MVP voting and helped the Thunder reach the top of the Western Conference.
His production increased again in 2024-25, when he averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 76 games. He won the MVP award and earned another All-NBA First Team selection.
Gilgeous-Alexander followed that campaign by averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 68 games during the 2025-26 regular season. He shot a career-best 55.3% from the field, 38.6% from three-point range and 87.9% from the free-throw line.
He also posted a career-best 59.7% effective field-goal percentage while averaging just 2.2 turnovers per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s development has coincided with Oklahoma City becoming one of the NBA’s dominant teams. The Thunder went 64-18 in 2025-26 and entered the postseason as the top team in the Western Conference before ultimately falling to the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game conference finals series.
The 28-year-old guard has also become a consistent presence in the league’s major individual awards. He has made four consecutive All-NBA First Teams from 2022-23 through 2025-26 and finished in the top five of MVP voting in each of those seasons, winning the award in both of the last two campaigns.
