Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credits 12x All-Star for becoming the player he is today

Five years ago, the OKC Thunder made the bold and daring decision to clean house with their win-now, star tandem of Russell Westbrook and Paul George, as they dealt the former to the Houston Rockets and the latter to the LA Clippers as they set sail on a full fledged rebuild.

Outside of the slew of draft capital that came back to Loud City in return, GM Sam Presti managed to acquire two headline talents in legendary point guard, Chris Paul and promising youngster, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now, entering the 2024-25 season, only SGA remains with the Thunder, as CP3 has taken part in a career renaissance of sorts over the time since thanks, in large, to the sensational one-and-done stint he had donning the blue, orange, and yellow threads back in 2019-20 (has gone on to play with three other teams since).

The club is by no means complaining.

At 26 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander is without question one of the game's brightest young stars, as he's coming off two consecutive All-Star and All-NBA selections and, last year, finished second in the running for the league's illustrious MVP award.

Though his sensational two-way trajectory toward stardom is far from shocking, as he was touted as one of the most well-rounded guard talents from his respective class, the heights he's reached have been truly historic and, during Monday's Media Day, he credited the now departed 12-time All-Star for helping him understand what it takes to get to this point.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credits Chris Paul for 'edge'

With the relationship between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul being classified as very "important," the Thunder centerpiece acknowledged the influence the future Hall of Fame guard has had on his evolution as a player.

"Chris was the first player I was around that was very particular about the things outside of basketball. He was the first person I was around that ate a certain way, that made sure they were lifting a certain amount of times during the week. He would watch basketball games differently... not watching as a fan. I think that kind of edge outside of the court is what makes him who he is as a player, along with his work and his skill set. That, if anything, is what I adopted from him the most," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Along with being one of the most gifted two-way backcourt players in league history, Paul has become widely known for his physical upkeep, especially throughout these latter years of his career. Back in 2018, he even decided to become a vegan to help keep his body in the form he believes is best for someone at this stage in his career.

Gilgeous-Alexander, though still believed to be an omnivore, shared during his Media Day sit-down that he certainly takes his diet and off-court diligence just as seriously as he does his weight room sessions and hardwood efforts, saying:

"I've always thought, like, I'm only going to be able to do this for so long and then my body will say no and I want to make sure I maximize the time that I'm going to be able to do this physically and get the most out of it. Then, all the time for rest and eating junk food, or whatever you want to call it, staying up late I guess I'll do that when I'm done playing."

From his shredded physique to his on-court excellence that has seen him post sensational averages of 30.7 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and just shy of a block on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent shooting from deep since 2022-23, it appears this type of "edge," as the Thunder star called it, has been paying off in major ways.

As stressed by Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul is to credit for this particular attribute.