The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 128-123 loss to the Sacramento Kings was headlined by the All-Star duel between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and De’Aaron Fox.
Both guards are in the midst of one of their best seasons. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31 points on 54.6% shooting, and Fox is averaging 30.1 points on 47.5% shooting.
The two All-Stars didn’t disappoint; each erupted for 40-plus points. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 43 points on 13-of-27 shooting, and Fox finished with 41 points on 14-of-25 shooting.
The similarities between Gilgeous-Alexander and Fox don’t end there. Both attended Kentucky in college before entering the NBA.
Fox had a much more traditional path to superstardom. He was the best player on Kentucky from the get-go. He was drafted with the No. 5 pick in 2017.
The following year, Gilgeous-Alexander worked his way from a bench player to a starter in Kentucky in his sole college season. His rise was enough to get drafted with the No. 11 pick in 2018.
When asked about their relationship, Fox retold a story from when he visited Kentucky in his rookie season and said Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be better than anticipated:
“I wouldn’t say (we’re) super close but we talk here and there.
“It’s funny, whenever we went back — me, Bam (Adebayo) and Malik (Monk) actually went back after we got drafted. And the guys were there and Shai was kinda the — not necessarily unknown guy — but I don’t think he was a McDonald’s All-American. They had a couple and I think he was the lowest-ranked guy — I think he was top 50 or whatever — but he was like the lowest ranked out of all the guys.
“We go and we play pickup, I’m like, ‘Yo, I think he’s going to be the best player on the team.’ I truly believed that at the time. Midway through the season, he ends up taking the starting spot and now he’s an MVP candidate.
“Just what I saw from him back then and just his poise, the way he plays, his length, obviously he’s a lot stronger than he was at the time. He just continued to grow and we’re throwing hits at him, blitzes, just trying to get the ball out of his hands.
“Being that tall, being that crafty, being that strong, that’s a tough cover for any team. Obviously, he averaged 30 (points) last year for a reason.
“That team has done nothing but put the right pieces around him. They’ve gotten better and he’s still doing what he does. Just a lot of credit to what he’s becoming.”
De'Aaron Fox speaks on SGA's growth after their 40-point duel tonight 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ZI5ZkAgTid
— NBA (@NBA) December 15, 2023
This is a pretty strong endorsement for Gilgeous-Alexander from one of his peers. As he continues to rise to an MVP candidate, it’s evident how much respect the 25-year-old’s garnered for his development from other stars around the league.
