The Oklahoma City Thunder have been on a dream run this season, and the numbers tell the story. With a stunning 24–2 record, OKC currently sits atop the NBA standings, surprising many but proving they belong among the league’s elite. At the heart of this success is reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and his consistent performance has naturally led to comparisons with some of the greatest players in basketball history. Recently, one such comparison caught significant attention, linking SGA to none other than Michael Jordan.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Comment Regarding the Latest Comparison

A few days ago, former NBA star Steve Nash sparked discussion during the NBA on Prime studio show when he suggested that Gilgeous-Alexander is approaching the same level of dominance once shown by Jordan.

“It’s so difficult to compare eras. It’s a fool’s errand, and comparison is a thief of joy. It’s interesting because this is someone that I idolize.”

“I grew up Michael Jordan, there’s no one. But like he’s statistically getting into conversations that you ever thought anyone would get in here when you talk about the grades of the game,” said Nash during the segment.

SGA was soon asked about this bold comparison in a recent interview with Taylor Rooks, but he didn’t entertain the hype for long. Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear that he believes he is still a long way from reaching the level of Jordan.

“Pretty insane. I don’t really love the comparisons just because he’s done so many things for the game of basketball. If you ask me though I’m still very very far away. I got a lot of work to do,” said Gilgeous-Alexander to Rooks.

While SGA himself may reject the idea, his on-court production this season makes it easy to see why such conversations exist.

His midrange game has become one of the deadliest weapons in the league. If we look at his statistics, he leads all players in made midrange shots per game, knocking down about 2.7 of them a night while hitting 58.8% of those attempts. That kind of efficiency from that area of the floor puts him ahead of elite scorers like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Luka Dončić. In the season, he is averaging 32.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game.

However, even with SGA playing at an elite level, team success has not always followed in every competition. Oklahoma City fell short of reaching the NBA Cup Finals this season after a narrow 111–109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the semifinal.

The Thunder jumped out to an early 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter, but their momentum quickly faded. Oklahoma City’s advantage shrank to three before San Antonio caught fire, erupting for 65 points in the first half and 46 after the break. The surge proved too much to overcome, sending the Thunder out of the tournament.

Now the Thunder will return to action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 18, and it will be worth watching how Gilgeous-Alexander responds.