Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off an MVP season and has begun this season with the Thunder as though the team’s target was to beat the 73-9 record set by the 2016 Warriors (23-1 in the first 24 games).
Despite bringing the Thunder to this elite level, Gilgeous-Alexander does not get as many flowers as he deserves in America. According to Austin Rivers, Gilgeous-Alexander has not yet reached the status where he can call himself the biggest superstar in the NBA. And a part of the reason is that he’s Canadian and not from the USA.
Rivers recorded an episode of his podcast, ‘Off Guard,’ and spoke about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still being underrated in his career.
“Given the resume, if he were American, maybe a little bit more active on social media because he’s not. Everything’s only for promotional use. He only gets on his Instagram and stuff if it’s like for something he’s doing, promoting a brand, a sneaker, or a fashion.
“He doesn’t just get on his IG live and start talking to people. Like he doesn’t tweet like Kevin Durant, you know, like if he were more active on social media, born in America, and played in a hot market, he’d be the biggest star in basketball by a landslide because he has everything.”
“Fashion, he’s number one. We know that. He’s like walking in Tom Brown and Louis Vuitton. He’s the guy. You know, game: MVP, champion, highest contract in NBA history. He’s got the swag, the aesthetic.”
“Bro, you ask anybody in any sport, like they do this all the time. You’ll say who’s the most fashionable guy that you would take. What’s another athlete you think is more fashionable? Every football player will say: Shai, Shai. Shai.”
“Like, Shay’s a cool guy. He is the guy, you know? I mean, I think it’s just when we go to the Olympics, he doesn’t have our jersey on, bro.”
“I think that stuff affects it. I think like even Wemby, Luka, these guys are huge stars, but if you’re telling me that they were one of ours… Do you see how we treat Ant? Ant’s like a top 15 player, top 10 player in the NBA. But he’s just likable and cool, we put him on. We put him everywhere. You know what I mean?”
“Again, Americans are usually like that. A little bit more boisterous, a little bit more forward. Social media, the way we do it versus that. It’s just different culturally, you know what I mean? Music, everything over here. So, it’s just different.”
“And that’s where I do think it’s part of why Shai’s great, too. He’s right in the middle. He gets to be all these cool things, but like he’s not overdone. He’s not like America’s not pushing him. So, he’s still refreshing.”
“If he were American, we’d already be tired of him. That’s what we do. We promote. We promote. We promote. And eventually, we get irritated with their success. That’s how Americans are,” said Rivers.
“Something bad will eventually turn people on. It’s just how it is. You could see it coming. You know what I mean? Like, as far as being a star. He’s just running things too much. Eventually, [Americans are] like, “All right, let’s bring you down.”
“Steph was so big those MVP years, he got so much sh *t like people were so 50-50 ‘Steph he’s just a family man, oh he thinks he’s so good, oh he’s so… You’re mad at him because he’s a nice guy?” Rivers further added.
“You just find things and get irritated because we pushed him so much: unanimous MVP, he’s a unanimous MVP, he’s not even better than he shouldn’t have won that first, it’s what happens. Remember, he was an underdog at Davidson; everyone loved Steph. ‘Oh my god, look at this little guy. Shoot these threes. He’s inspiring.”
“And then once he started dominating the NBA and taking MVPs away from the favorite player. Oh, he’s so he plays on one side of the ball. The hate comes,” concluded Rivers.
Since James Harden won the league MVP in 2017-18, no American player has won the coveted award. Multiple wins for Nikola Jokic (2021,2022, 2024) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020), combined with Joel Embiid’s win in 2023, have ensured that it has been seven seasons since an American has won that trophy.
Therefore, Rivers emphasizes that while Americans appreciate elite talent from across the globe, they inherently want an American player as the face of the league so that they can resonate with him more. Moreover, Rivers believes that if Gilgeous-Alexander starts interacting with fans like Kevin Durant does, or leaves Oklahoma City to join a much larger market, then he could still realize the true potential of being a superstar in America.
Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 32.8 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 44.3% from beyond the arc and looks set to compete for and clinch the Michael Jordan regular-season MVP award.
While I agree with Rivers about the visible bias that Americans have against making a non-American player like Gilgeous-Alexander as the face of the league, talent and hard work always beat appearance. At some point, the resume will speak for itself. If Gilgeous-Alexander continues winning like he did last season, there’s nothing that can stop him from becoming a top 10 NBA player of all time.
