Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are set to face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs for a spot in the championship game of the NBA Cup.
NBA anchor Rachel Nichols asked the reigning MVP on ‘Open Run with All the Smoke’ about what he thinks of the internet poking fun at their general manager, Sam Presti, after A’ja Wilson’s comments about wanting to start a family with Bam Adebayo.
“Sam takes his job very seriously, and whatever it takes to be great, he will do so if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes,” joked Gilgeous-Alexander.
The WNBA champion recently declared her intentions of having a child with the Heat forward after becoming Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year. Those comments went viral on social media as several fans believed that a hypothetical baby boy like that would naturally possess elite basketball talent (Assuming it would be a boy, as only then is Presti’s involvement relevant).
Especially considering that his mother is a six-foot-four-inch three-time WNBA champion and four-time MVP, while his father is a six-foot-nine-inch former NBA All-Star. A lot of fans also joked about how that child would be NBA teams’ radar before even being born.
Considering the Thunder’s reputation for elite scouting and that they hold a tremendously high number of potentially valuable draft assets, the common, hilarious sentiment was that their general manager, Sam Presti, would be at the child’s first sonogram.
Presti is credited as the mastermind for creating a championship-winning team with a major arsenal of draft assets and young talent that he scouted very early in their careers and grew organically in Oklahoma City over the years.
Teams around the league are already fearing a potentially unbeatable superteam that the Thunder could end up forming over the next few years. They currently have 12 first-round picks until the 2032-33 season.
Thus, these comments are simply a reflection of the NBA World recognising Presti’s elite scouting skills. Who knows, maybe 18-20 years later, the 48-year-old general manager might still have his job in Oklahoma City or could take up a higher role in the organisation at this rate.
However, as far as being at the first sonogram of these two basketball stars’ potential child is concerned, Presti would definitely respect their privacy, but that also doesn’t mean he won’t have his eye on the kid if it’s a boy who likes to play basketball.
The Thunder are currently dominating the West in terms of their regular season record (24-1 before tonight’s game) with a 16-game win streak, looking to challenge legendary teams like the 1995 Bulls, 2016 Warriors, and more.
But while their current team is so elite, Presti’s reputation has warranted the idea that he could have begun planning for a draft that is potentially nearly two decades away.
