When the 2024–25 season began, all and sundry knew greatness was already beckoning for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). After all, he was fresh off a campaign in which he led the Thunder to the top of the West. Yet, there was likewise some doubt in regard to his relative inexperience; for all his brilliance in finishing second to noted unicorn Nikola Jokic for the Most Valuable Player award, he failed to steer the supposedly favored blue and yellow past the conference semifinals.

Fast forward eight months, and any and all questions about Gilgeous-Alexander’s place among the National Basketball Association elite were definitively answered by and with a run for the ages. He underscored his capacity to live up to expectations, and more, with a transcendent showing, the kind that gets immortalized in documentaries and barbershop debates. With a display of calm and control that belied his youth, he spearheaded the transformation of the Thunder from promising players to champions.

What made Gilgeous-Alexander so special wasn’t just the numbers — though those were superior in their own right. Thirty-two, five, and six a night, efficient shooting, elite defense, late-game heroics: all these manifested in his traditional and advanced stats. That said, it was the way he carried himself throughout his journey to superstardom that really stood out. Instead of flash or pizzazz, he relied on a quiet, methodical destruction of whoever stood in his way. For the Thunder, he was a metronome: consistent between October and April, legendary in May and June.

Certainly, the playoffs were where it all came together for Gilgeous-Alexander. Game after game, he outclassed stars with more experience and, often, more hype. Pro hoops annals are replete with examples of talented guards who have captured the public’s imagination. However, few have led a young, still-developing group of talents all the way to a title while being THE GUY just about every single night. He did it with maturity, intelligence, and guile — in other words the kind of game that’s built to last.

What’s wild: Gilgeous-Alexander’s only 26, which is to say his reign has just begun. The Thunder have arrived, and if the Larry O’Brien Trophy in their mantel is any indication, they look to be sticking around for a while.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.