Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opened up about Chris Paul mentorship, road to MVP

When the Houston Rockets traded Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2019, it appeared to be part of a massive teardown effort in OKC. They already flipped Paul George to the Clippers for a young point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of picks six days prior, and then sent their homegrown star to an in-division title contender for another package headlined by picks and swaps. 

Paul was never going to be part of the Thunder’s long-term future, but he ended up playing an important part in getting this Thunder team to where it is today as the West’s top seed, two games away from its first Finals appearance since 2012. That’s because Paul was a willing mentor for Gilgeous-Alexander, who got a yearlong crash course in how to be an elite NBA point guard on and off the court during OKC’s surprising run to the playoffs in 2019-20. 

On Thursday night, prior to Game 2 between the Thunder and Wolves, Gilgeous-Alexander received his first NBA MVP trophy, with Paul on hand for the presentation to celebrate his former young protege turned superstar. After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about what Paul’s meant to him, and he explained how Paul provided a road map for how to operate on and off the court to successfully get to where Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to go. 

“He’s been great. Like you said, not only like a big brother, mentor, just like a friend. He’s always there to lean on,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He was the first guy in my life that I was like close with that like achieved the things that I wanted to achieve, and I really lean on him for advice. And not only basketball advice but business advice, taking care of your body advice, like, handling a family when they don’t live with you. There’s so many things you deal with as an NBA player, especially of his caliber, that go under the radar. His guidance with that has been great, and like I said, not only with all the mentorship and stuff, but just being there as a friend. He’s been special.” 

The on-court lessons are often discussed, as a year with Chris Paul in practices, the film room and games provides a doctorate level course in the point guard craft. However Gilgeous-Alexander points to as much of what he’s learned about navigate NBA life off the court as how Paul has helped him the most. From handling time away from your family but still being present in their lives to handling the varying responsibilities of being a star player with endorsements and business opportunities, SGA credits Paul with showing him how to do so effectively while remaining focused on the task at hand on the court. 

Gilgeous-Alexander took that advice and is now set to accomplish things Paul never quite did. He now has the MVP trophy that eluded Paul throughout his career, and more importantly is six wins away from capturing the NBA championship that Paul has never been able to get into his grasp.