With the recent news of NBA legend Chris Paul's retirement following numerous controversies this season, OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked to share his thoughts on the saga.
While Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned that he wished Paul would've "gotten his flowers," the Thunder superstar elected to speak on his personal relationship with the future Hall of Famer in a spurt of unfiltered transparency.
"Chris was special for my career... Off the court, he was the first person that I was around to, like, really take care of their body, show me the importance of the weight room... His life was really, like, a regimen, and it allowed him to be successful on the court," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
This isn't the first time SGA has given significant credit for his success to his former mentor. It's also likely that Sam Presti, Mark Daigneault, and the rest of the OKC Thunder have expressed similar sentiments behind closed doors.
Chris Paul's protege has propelled the Thunder franchise to new heights
The reigning MVP originally arrived in Oklahoma City as part of the now-famous Paul George trade, which sent Danilo Gallinari and a plethora of draft assets to the Thunder along with him.
Though this trade has been widely regarded as one of the most lopsided deals in league history, it might've looked a lot different if Presti hadn't acquired CP3 from the Rockets in a separate move that same year.
Shai showed promise in his first season with OKC, averaging 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, but he was a far cry from a player destined to lead his team to the NBA Finals.
A year under Chris Paul's tutelage, however, provided him with invaluable lessons that have clearly helped skyrocket him into superstardom.
If Shai were to have missed out on those lessons and become another decent, everyday player, the Paul George trade might carry a different connotation.
It's a good thing SGA has turned into a superstar, too, because Presti has essentially been 50/50 with every other part of OKC's return package.
For every Jalen Williams he was able to scoop up, he selected a Dillon Jones, who averaged just 2.5 points in just 10.2 minutes per game in his lone season with the team before getting shipped off to the lowly Wizards this past summer.
Thunder are indebted to Chris Paul for his Hall of Fame mentorship
While Paul had a tremendous season on the floor with the Thunder during his one-and-done stint in 2019-20, his greatest contribution was taking a young point guard from Kentucky under his wing and showing him the path to excellence.
His teachings sparked a chain of events that permeated throughout the 2025-2026 roster. Teammates fed off SGA's commitment and thirst for success as he led the young squad to OKC's first-ever title in 2024-25.
Had Sam Presti not asked for Houston to include Paul in their deal seven years ago, this Thunder franchise would likely look a whole lot different than it does now.