{"id":366284,"date":"2025-12-23T08:21:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/366284\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T08:21:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:21:14","slug":"shai-gilgeous-alexander-channels-inner-kobe-bryant-on-historic-nba-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/366284\/","title":{"rendered":"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Channels Inner Kobe Bryant On Historic NBA Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> put on a show to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> past the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> on Monday night. With a 119-103 win, the Thunder moved past Memphis with ease. But a highlight play by Gilgeous-Alexander in the fourth quarter bore a vague resemblance to an NBA legend.<\/p>\n

With the opportunity to ice the game for the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander channeled the spirit of one of his idols, Kobe Bryant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SGA NO WAY?! \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/FEzBuYonEz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite Kentavious Caldwell-Pope<\/a>\u2018s timely three-point shot to cut the lead to single digits, the Thunder were in a comfortable position to win the game. Still, a moment of magic produced by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the crowd on its feet.<\/p>\n

The move to step past the defender and throw the ball off the backboard seemed awfully similar to a series of iconic plays by Kobe Bryant<\/a>. Although Bryant went on to score, Gilgeous-Alexander found an alternative route to secure the points.<\/p>\n

While discussing the play after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander stated<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s part of the game. It\u2019s fun. I\u2019ve seen players throw it off the glass and dunk it. That\u2019s probably not my personality; I don\u2019t have that in me. But when they reacted, I knew BC [Branden Carlsen] was open. Tried to get him a shot. It worked out. I\u2019ll probably never do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his own way, Gilgeous-Alexander remains committed to being consistent and maximizing results. This approach has been largely positive for the Thunder, who tied their franchise record for most consecutive wins at home<\/a> (14).<\/p>\n

On the night of this accomplishment for the team, however, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also reached a historic milestone.<\/p>\n

In the process of scoring a game-high 31 points against the Grizzlies, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reached 100 consecutive games of scoring above 20 points. With this, he is now the second player since Wilt Chamberlain<\/a> (126) to have recorded such a feat.<\/p>\n

OKC head coach Mark Daigneault shared his thoughts on Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s achievement during his post-game media availability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision he has, the commitment he has to the game and his craft, the team, he\u2019s always in character around that stuff,\u201d\u00a0Daigneault commented. \u201cHe\u2019s ruthlessly consistent in the invisible places that I see, and you guys don\u2019t. It\u2019s probably 100 more that I don\u2019t see that he\u2019s taking care of. But it\u2019s no accident that he\u2019s the player that he is. He\u2019s literally chiseled himself into this player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daigneault\u2019s praise for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s consistency<\/a> and commitment speaks volumes about the superstar\u2019s work ethic. As the reigning MVP and one of the best offensive players in the league, the 27-year-old continues to carve out his unique legacy in the NBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n