OKC Thunder Superstar Dishes on Playing in Small Market

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the NBA All-Star Weekend where the star was peppered with questions about playing in a small market and potentially being the next face of the league.

Feb 8, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) react during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder sent superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to the NBA All-Star Weekend in the Bay Area. The Thunder star was asked about playing in a small market and growing a brand in a place like Oklahoma City, on the heels of his stardom rising and the launch of his new shoe.

"Yeah, it's a smaller market, so naturally and organically it's less attention, but if you're good enough at basketball, attention will find you, and we've seen that over the years. LeBron was in Cleveland, and there was no problem because he was that good at basketball," Gilgeous-Alexander explained. "So, it's like, the market matters to a certain extent, but if you're that good at basketball, it'll figure itself out. That's how I see it."

By the same token, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar was peppered with questions about potentially being the next face of the NBA, which the guard shared his thoughts on.

"Yeah. It's cool. It's something that we as players normally kind of have don't really full control over. That's literally for the world to decide, and whoever the world gravitates to is going to become it naturally," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Now, it's something that would obviously be -- it's not really like a title, it's more of an opinion, but it is something that is for sure surreal."

"If you're in that conversation, if you're amongst those guys, you are a very, very, very good basketball player and will probably go down in history, and to be in that conversation is a blessing, that surrounding is amazing," The Thunder superstar added.

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