The 2024-2025 NBA season was historic for Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. The Oklahoma City Thunder star won MVP of the league, finals MVP and his season ended with the first NBA Championship Parade in OKC.

In an exclusive interview with News 9, Thunder Reporter Steve McGehee caught up with SGA to talk about the off-season, defending the title, and how he handles it all.

WATCH FULL INTERVIEW ON OKLAHOMA’S OWN SPORTS YOUTUBE CHANNEL

One of the most memorable moments of the Championship Parade was when SGA and the other player left the tour buses to get close to the fans.

“We were on the bus to start, and it just felt like I was just bored. Like I was just, I was on the bus like, this can’t be it. So I just got off and I generally took off,” said SGA.

SGA said he could feel the love OKC had for the Thunder.

“Being that close to them in that setting was like a different type of love, a different type of appreciation, and it goes a long way for sure,” he said.

After all the success during the season, SGA said he tried to stay present in the moment during the off-season.

Though he is focusing on the moment, SGA said he has imagined his career’s future with his friends and Thunder teammates, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who helped carry the team to the championship.

“Both of those guys are like super talented guys, super high upside guys, and great personalities to have as teammates and friends. And they both have so much more room to grow that it’s very exciting to imagine,” he said.

With the Thunder being the defending champions, SGA said he knows the target on the team’s back is bigger.

“Your target, when you win, your target becomes bigger,” he said. ” It’s what you’re after as a competitor and you relish those type of things.”

SGA doesn’t let the fame and accolades he’s received go to his head, he said.

“I just try to be as humble and as giving and as sharing as I can with my family and my friends,”

To stay motivated after winning it all, SGA said he focuses on how he can grow as a player.

“What I’m really chasing and really after is just trying to figure out how good of a basketball player I can be when it’s all said and done, and those are the things that I focus on,” he said. “I still think there’s so much more room for myself to grow. I guess in that way, outside of the accolades and the things that I’ve accomplished, I still have a long way to go.”