After one of the greatest individual seasons ever, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has cemented himself as one of the league’s best players who is on the hunt for all-time legend status. Leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship, he won about every award imaginable on the way there.

Gilgeous-Alexander captured the MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, NBA Finals MVP and scoring title. He had a third straight superb-efficient 30-plus point campaign. Anytime he broke an NBA record, he was in the same sentence with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Despite all that success, Gilgeous-Alexander still has at least one critic. One former NBA player argues that he’s not yet a mainstream name. That’s despite the NBA going all out for the Thunder, being tied for the most national television appearances in the 2025-26 regular season.

On the “TFU” podcast, former NBA player Jordan Crawford posed an interesting question. The former career journeyman played in six seasons in the NBA from 2010-18, which included a gap playing elsewhere. He wondered if Gilgeous-Alexander is even a bigger name in basketball than Michael Beasley. Yep, you read that right. Beasley.

“I told Beasley this,” Crawford said. “Who name bigger? I’m asking y’all right now on the spot. Who name is bigger in basketball? Shai Gilgeous or Michael Beasley?”

One of the podcast co-hosts said Beasley “without a doubt.” He also said it’s not even a close race either. Crawford nodded in agreement after he asked the rhetorical question.

Eh, not sure about that. Beasley received a lot of hype when he entered the NBA as the No. 2 pick of the 2008 NBA draft. Many thought he had ‘superstar’ written all over him. The Miami Heat hoped he’d be the next franchise great. Instead, he never lived up to expectations and spent 11 seasons in the league as a career bench player.

While Beasley had more notoriety than Gilgeous-Alexander entering the league, the latter’s ascension into an MVP winner surpassed the former a long time ago. When you’re one of the best players and headlined one of the greatest teams ever, basketball folks around the world should know your name.

It was definitely bold of Crawford to suggest Beasley is more popular, but I think the average NBA fans know who the reigning MVP and champion is.