It's no secret that OKC Thunder cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players the game currently has to offer.
From his league-leading scoring prowess to his electrifying two-way capabilities, many across the association have gone on record to label the guard as arguably the "toughest" player to game-plan against.
Monday night's showing against the Bucks was simply just another example of this, as he dropped 34 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds on 78.9 percent shooting from the floor and 66.7 percent shooting from distance while guiding Oklahoma City to a 125-96 blowout win over Milwaukee.
However, though his on-court play may already make him worthy of being in the running for the "face of the NBA" moniker, it's his post-game commentary that should all but cement his claim to it.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves to be face of NBA
Before Monday's showdown, Gilgeous-Alexander was once again seen signing autographs for fans during team warmups.
When asked by reporters why he makes it "a point" to do this, the Thunder star provided a wholesome and overall touching answer that should automatically earn him brownie points in the face of the league conversation.
"I used to be a kid and wanted autographs. I just think if I had a chance to get Kobe Bryant's autograph, for example, as a kid I'd do anything for it. I try to take a few minutes to make some kid's dream come true," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Shai scored 35 PTS then made this young fan's night by signing and gifting him his game-worn jersey 🥹 pic.twitter.com/LWa1LEhNpP
— NBA (@NBA) January 27, 2025
Positively impacting the fans' happiness and experience is exactly the kind of trait that the NBA should be searching for in their headline talent. After all, without them, the players wouldn't be getting nearly as much in profits as they currently do, and Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to become one of the highest-paid players of all time.
Along with this, the Thunder star issued yet another powerful statement that helps his case for why he's deserving to be the new face of the league, as he noted earlier on in his presser that he's always looking to play as much as possible and that days off are not an option for him.
"I would like to play as much as I can. I wake up coming to the game to compete. Now, coach makes the decision on how much he wants me to play but I would like to play as much as I get the opportunity to," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
In this era of load management, this type of mentality is quite rare, especially among star players eligible to cash in on high-end contracts like Gilgeous-Alexander this summer.
Both his desire to interact with and please the fans, as well as his drive to play "as much as I can" truly goes against the approach many of his star-caliber peers adhere to, and he's doing this while posting phenomenal per-game averages of 32.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks and guiding the Thunder to the best record in the Western Conference at 39-9.
From his personality to his play, there seems to be little doubt that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is worthy of being crowned the face of the NBA.