The Oklahoma City Thunder have watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander transform into a superstar. 18 months ago, it was a question on if Gilgeous-Alexander was going to make an All-Star game, or if he could be a number one option.
Fast forward, and you see the OKC Thunder guard now a two-time All-Star, a First-team All-NBA honor under his belt, and as he finished fifth in MVP voting a season ago, Gilgeous-Alexander is a leader in the clubhouse for the award this year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been tabbed as a Western Conference All-Star Starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star game.
The NBA announced the starting five for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game for the Western Conference as Eastern Conference during the TNT Pre-game show on Thursday. This was just the starting five for each squad as the NBA reverts back to a Western Conference and Eastern Conference format, doing away with the player draft.
The NBA All-Star Starters are voted on by the fans, players, and media, with the fans making up half the vote and the other half going to the media and players. Throughout the fan vote returns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander consistently checked in at the third spot for the Western Conference back court.
This slotted the OKC Thunder superstar behind Luka Doncic and Steph Curry, no surprise there. Despite thoroughly outplaying Curry on the court, Curry's fanbase is incredibly strong. Luckily, the players and media that were allowed to vote did the right thing.
#Thunder Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an All-Star Starter! pic.twitter.com/F7WNZHIjae
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) January 26, 2024
It was announced today that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ranked first in the player vote and media vote while still coming in third in the fan vote.
The Western Conference is stacked, and this starting five is going to be tough to beat. Excited for the NBA All-Star game! pic.twitter.com/fPK9Dys8wf
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) January 26, 2024
Joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, Former Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the leader in All-Star appearances in NBA history LeBron James, and two time MVP Nikola Jokic.
This will make the Western Conference tough to beat, as the Eastern Conference starters counter with Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the fourth different Thunder player to be named an NBA All-Star starter, tied for second-most by any team since 2008-09.
The amount of history the Thunder franchise has compiled since their inaugural season is impressive and only continues to grow.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31 points, five rebounds, six assists, a league-best 2.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. The max contract point guard is 54 percent from the floor, 33 percent from beyond the arc, and 89 percent at the charity stripe.