As the reigning NBA MVP, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has reached another level of stardom. Still, according to basketball legend Charles Barkley, he’s not the same competitor that Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan was.
“The three best players I’ve ever seen are Michael [Jordan], Kobe [Bryant], and LeBron [James], and I’ll tell you the difference between the three. Michael and Kobe were dangerous,” said Barkley on the Bill Simmons podcast. “They will kill your a**. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different. The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great, great player. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you.”
On the court, there’s no argument that Shai isn’t one of the best players in the game. As the NBA’s MVP last season, he averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 51.9% shooting. He topped the league in scoring and carried the Thunder to the best record in the NBA before winning his first championship. He was also named Finals MVP after putting up 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds through seven games in the series.
While the stats confirm Shai’s elite talent, they don’t tell the entire story of his playstyle, and Barkley believes there’s one major factor that separates him from legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Those guys were not just athletes on the court; they were ultra competitors who sought to demoralize and dishearten their opponents.
Often labeled as “assassins,” they were killers in the sense that they treated their opponents like enemies. In the case of Kobe Bryant, part of his legacy is the “mamba mentality,” which involves an unrelenting and unforgiving approach to the game.
By contrast, Shai draws more comparisons to LeBron James. He’s more friendly, cordial, and respectful to his fellow players. Like LeBron, Shai is more likely to make friends with the competition instead of going out of his way to crush their spirits.
It’s not a knock on Shai’s skills or superstar status, but it proves that he doesn’t instill fear in other players, which so often comes with being the best. LeBron James has made it work by letting his game do all the talking, and Shai is following that same path with his own playstyle.
Whether or not it limits Shai’s effectiveness remains to be seen, but Barkley certainly seems to think that it holds him back from being on a higher level of greatness. Until SGA wins more titles, Barkley will keep doubting OKC’s chances of building a dynasty in the West.
At this point, only Shai can prove him wrong, and he’s off to a great start so far. Just seven years into his career, Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of the Thunder with a resume that includes a championship, an MVP, and three All-Star appearances. If he can go back-to-back in 2026, Shai will prove that he doesn’t need the “killer” tag to maximize his potential.
