Steve Nash became Canada’s first NBA Most Valuable Player two decades ago. On the 20th anniversary of Nash’s first MVP title, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the second Canadian to receive the honors. Though Nash has one more MVP trophy than his countryman, the eight-time All-Star believes Gilgeous-Alexander will significantly eclipse his career.
On Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander was named this year’s MVP after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to victory against MVP runner-up Nikola Jokić and his Denver Nuggets. Nash holds Gilgeous-Alexander in high esteem, believing his performance against Jokić is an important marker for his ceiling.
“I mean, he’s heading way past me. He’s a historic player already,” Nash told the Toronto Star. “The fact that he won over Nikola Jokic, who’s on his way to being one of the top — I don’t know, he keeps going — one, two, three, four, five best players ever, shows you how amazing a season Shai had, and how galvanizing he is for his team and organization, and how he just continues to get better and better.”
Nash understands the reservation for naming modern players in the same breath as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. But Nash argues Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, is performing at a level that merits such comparisons.
“I think there’s a reluctance, out of respect and admiration, to say names like Jordan and Kobe or whoever, but he does the same thing they do,” Nash said. “If you look at the numbers and you break it down, there’s a lot of things he does that are greater than everyone that’s even close to those type of players. So he’s ascending towards that category.”
Oklahoma City set a league record for winning margin this season at 12.9 points per game. Gilgeous-Alexander was a huge component of their success, leading the NBA regular season with 32.7 points and averaging an ultra-impressive 6.37 true shooting percentage.
“If you win the championship this year, that also helps the argument. But I’m not so much into arguments. I’m just into quality of play and quality of player, human being, leader, winner, and he’s ascending at a historic rate here. So I mean, there’s no limit, really. I just love him to death, and just to see him recognized is phenomenal.”
Nash may not invest exclusively in championship rings, but Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are well on their way. The team is 2-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Final, just three wins shy of the NBA Finals.
