Shai Gilgeous Alexander is a 'True Blue' MVP Caliber Superstar

Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having quite the summer.

Opting to play for his home country Canada in this year's FIBA tournament, Gilgeous-Alexander led the team to a bronze medal placement after defeating the USA.

This has raised the Thunder superstar's notoriety in NBA circles even more than his MVP-caliber 2022-23 campaign, and is getting large amounts of praise and respect from players and coaches alike.

ESPN's Zach Lowe talked about Gilgeous-Alexander extensively on his The Lowe Post podcast, saying that "Canada confirmed for the world and the OKC Thunder that they have a true blue, No. 1 option, MVP caliber superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.”

While those familiar with Gilgeous-Alexander in past seasons are unlikely to just now give him superstar-talent respect, playing for a small market in Oklahoma City makes it more difficult to get widespread mainstream attention.

Playing on a global stage for Canada brings a lot of spotlight, especially when you lead a country's team.

Surrounded by NBA talent such as RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks and Thunder teammate Luguentz Dort, Canada certainly had the tools to be a contender for the gold medal. While Canada didn't reach gold, a bronze placement is a huge accomplishment for a country that isn't typically successful in basketball.

In the bronze medal game against the USA, Gilgeous-Alexander scored an impressive 31 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds, shooting 11-20 from the field.

While Team USA had plenty of high-level NBA talent, such as Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton, Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player in the game by a substantial amount, and arguably in the entire FIBA Tournament.

Gilgeous-Alexander showed off just how talented his game is for the whole world to see, and Team USA coach Steve Kerr and Mikal Bridges even spoke highly of his game following their loss.

Next season the Thunder superstar will once again be involved in MVP conversations, and if the rest of the roster can contribute enough, Oklahoma City's placement in the playoff picture could have enough legs for an MVP win to be possible.

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