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Justin Martinez: A statement from Nike: “We are thrilled to welcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Nike Basketball signature family. Coming after back-to-back MVP seasons, we are excited to build on Shai’s incredible impact with Converse as one of the most creative leaders in the game.”
Nick DePaula: CONFIRMED: Nike has officially added Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a Signature Swoosh athlete. “Coming after back-to-back MVP seasons, we are excited to build on Shai's incredible impact with Converse as one of the most creative leaders in the game.”
Nick DePaula: Athletes shifting subsidiary brands are technically a contractual option within companies, but rarely happen. Recent key ones: 2020: Shai from Nike to Converse 2019: Jayson Tatum from Nike to Jordan 2013: John Wall from Reebok to Adidas 2009: Dwyane Wade from Converse to Jordan
Joel Lorenzi: Sam Presti says “all NBA players do is complain, bitch and moan. (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) has gotten three technical fouls this year, none of them for complaining.” Also says “he’s brought the midrange back to an art form,” part of why he draws fouls successfully.
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Joel Lorenzi: Sam Presti says his players had every reason to reference injuries in exit meetings — notes OKC's playoff starters from last season played 11 games together, and that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren played 27 games together. "Not one guy raised that as an issue that they wanted to reflect on."
Shams Charania: You think about shoe deals, right? Kevin Durant, LeBron James locked in at Nike. Now Stephen Curry at Li-Ning. Those are really the three faces of this current generation of players. And you think about this next generation of guys, right? And Victor Wembanyama is at the the highest of stages now at the NBA Finals. Sources tell me his shoe deal is actually up in October as well. So, he's going to be a sneaker free agent coming up. And you think about the timing of this, right? He's 22 years old. He's about to be in the Finals. He just won conference finals MVP. He just won defensive player of the year. First unanimous ever. Anthony Edwards, he's locked in at Adidas. He's got a big deal, too. Luka Doncic locked in at Jordan. He's got a big deal. Think about other faces in the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he's got a big deal at Converse. Jayson Tatum, he's also locked in at Jordan Brand. And so when you think all those other young faces are locked in, you have a guy like Victor at Nike. We'll see what happens with his future now on the shoe side.
Oh No He Didn't: Stephon Castle: "Probably my discipline especially guarding the ball 1 on 1. Shai used a lot of deception and pump fakes, sweep throughs and trying to keep him off the free throw line is tough at times but I think Brunson being a smaller guard is probably gonna be amplified a lot more"
"The Knicks have to keep playing fast," the West assistant coach said. "If it's a half-court game, it's advantage Spurs. I don't think Shai played fast enough in the Spurs series. They weren't doubling him, but he wasn't getting to the spots and lanes he needed. ... "If Victor isn't at the rim, the Knicks can finish over San Antonio's other guys."
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Minutes after the Spurs' Game 7 victory in Oklahoma City, ESPN's Tim Bontemps spoke with a veteran NBA scout on the keys to the Finals: "I think I still give the Spurs the advantage, but there's a nagging thing from the end of this game: With all the emotion, it immediately hit me that they may have a hangover coming out of this series. The Knicks have the problem of being off for a long time, so you can say that's its own issue, but it just seems San Antonio put so much into this series ... have they already slayed their dragon? Is there any chance the Knicks take advantage early in the series? "You have two perimeter-oriented bigs. I think that helps Towns more. Towns is not a guy who is going to worry about getting his shot blocked when he's taking 3s. I don't hate that matchup. The Knicks are normally trying to figure out who to match Towns up on. ... And you saw how Shai was impacted when he would get to the rim and look to pass, where he's trying to score against 28 other teams. The way the Knicks play, not sure Victor's presence is going to have as much of an impact against them as it did Oklahoma City. "The Knicks have more of a chance than I thought they did a few weeks ago, but I'm still picking San Antonio in this series."
The Oklahoma City Thunder have some decisions to make this offseason after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will reportedly let his voice be heard despite previous comments suggesting he won't have any impact. "I was told, though, that Shai was playing a little bit coy there," ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Monday (three-minute mark). "He will at least remind Sam Presti and the Thunder management just how much he values having Lu Dort as his teammate. Remember, those two are tied for the longest tenures of the guys on the roster right now. And, they spend their summers together playing for Team Canada."
Josh Lewenberg: To sum up NBAers in for Canada this summer: SGA, NAW, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Nembhard bros, Mathurin, Olynyk, George, Miller Out this summer but in for this cycle: Edey, Powell Didn’t commit: Murray, Sharpe, Wiggins Committed but not selected: Lawson, Banton, Houstan, Prosper
Joel Lorenzi: Isaiah Hartenstein notes that this Thunder roster once represented an underdog story — with Lu Dort being undrafted, Hartenstein spending time in the G League, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being traded — but says “it’s a little different now, I guess.” What does he mean? “I mean it’s…next question?”
