In the aftermath of a crushing loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke candidly on how much market size matters for NBA stars.
“I love Oklahoma City. I can’t see a world where I’m not in OKC. Market, no market. I don’t care. I love where I am,” said Shai via Joel Lorenzi. “I go to work every day with a smile on my face. The money doesn’t matter to a certain extent. As long as I enjoy what I’m doing at a very high level, and love the people that I’m around doing it, the market doesn’t matter to me.”
Shai, 26, has experienced both sides of the NBA world. In his rookie season with the Clippers, he got to experience life in Los Angeles and play under a spotlight that had the whole world on notice. But as part of the trade for Paul George, the Clippers gave up SGA in 2019 and he’s been in Oklahoma City ever since.
As it stands, the Thunder are arguably the lowest-market franchise in the NBA. The team is based in Oklahoma, which is home to roughly 4.05 million people. Oklahoma City isn’t a very popular tourist destination and the standard of living for rich athletes doesn’t compare to places like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, which is teaming with life, activity, and opportunities for business.
Over the years, we’ve seen an increased trend in the NBA where players will forgo their obligations to their original teams to settle in high-market cities like Miami, San Francisco, and Phoenix.
In the case of the Thunder, they are a relatively new franchise and their inexperience makes them an even less desirable location for many athletes to play. And yet, somehow, the Thunder have consistently been stocked up on star talent thanks to solid drafting and logical decision-making with the roster.
Currently, with Shai, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and others, the Thunder are one of the best teams in the league right now and their core is still young enough to dominate for the next 10 years together.
Of course, the Thunder only go as far as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander takes them. With averages of 31.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game on 52.4% shooting, he’s leading the MVP conversation once again and has the Thunder poised to finish with the best record in the West.
Fortunately, the young star is in it for the long haul. Unlike other stars such as Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Damian Lillard, Shai is content with his environment and he has no desire to turn his back on the Thunder to join a big market team. That must come as a relief to the franchise, who have hitched their entire future around the superstar point guard.
As the season progresses, we will continue to see Shai and his Thunder team develop and slowly get better over time and that’s pretty scary for the NBA considering they are already leading the West at 30-6. By the looks of it, the West will run through Oklahoma City for the foreseeable future and Shai wouldn’t have it any other way.
The next game for the Thunder is Friday, January 10th against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden (7:30 PM EST). On Sunday, January 12th, the Thunder play the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena at 6:00 PM EST. The road trip continues for the Thunder on Tuesday, January 14th, against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
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