Metta World Peace on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being ‘better than Michael Jordan'
The post Metta World Peace on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being 'better than Michael Jordan' appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just delivered a season that basketball fans will be talking about for decades. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship, battling through a thrilling seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers, per AthlonSports. Along the way, he claimed the league's scoring title, won regular season MVP, and took home Finals MVP honors. That combination has only been accomplished by three others in league history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Michael Jordan.
Advertisement
Naturally, that kind of season demands conversations about greatness. But Metta World Peace, the former NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year, took it to another level. On social media and in recent interviews, he claimed, 'At times, Shai is better than MJ.'
Fans were stunned, critics shook their heads, but Metta meant every word. And he didn't walk it back. Instead, he added context on the podcast Casuals with Katie Nolan, saying, 'Michael Jordan's done things nobody has ever done, and it looks so elegant. But SGA, the way he plays the game, through the legs, behind the back, step back, crossover, spins, it's exactly how he wants to play it.'
A New Kind of Greatness
Gilgeous-Alexander's playing style has become one of the smoothest in the league. He doesn't rely on brute strength or explosive dunks. His footwork, rhythm, and control turn games into highlight reels, but not in the way that overwhelms. He picks his spots, controls the tempo, and makes elite defenders look ordinary. To Metta's point, it's not about Shai copying Jordan's dominance. It's about the way he has carved out his own lane.
Advertisement
Jordan was an assassin who struck with speed and precision. Shai feels more like a tactician, crafting each move with patience and creativity. His ability to stay calm in pressure moments and hit tough shots from all angles is a skill set that has separated him from his peers. And now, it is starting to place him in a different conversation altogether.
Metta World Peace didn't say Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is better than Michael Jordan in every way. He simply pointed out what some fans have started to see: in certain moments, on certain nights, Gilgeous-Alexander plays a brand of basketball that feels just as legendary.
Related: Fans react to Nick Young going off on Gilbert Arenas for being a 'Kobe hater'
Related: Pat McAfee finally explains WWE absence
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
How many Big Ten basketball players were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft?
A total of 10 Big Ten basketball players were selected in the first and second rounds of the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday and Thursday. Headlined by Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the Big Ten witnessed eight of its players selected in the first round -- a new conference record. Harper, who averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 32.6 minutes per game for the Scarlet Knights, was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 2 overall pick on Wednesday. His teammate, 6-foot-10 guard/forward Ace Bailey, went No. 5 to the Utah Jazz just minutes later. While both players were projected to land within the draft's lottery, the conference also produced six more high-profile draftees before the beginning of the second round on Thursday. Most notably, the New Orleans Pelicans traded an unprotected first-round pick from the 2026 NBA draft to the Atlanta Hawks for an opportunity to select Maryland big man Derik Queen, the 2024-25 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. New Orleans' decision to shop the pick, which could morph into a No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 overall selection, epitomizes the franchise's confidence in the 20-year-old. The Miami Heat went on to select Illinois' do-it-all combo guard Kasparas Jakučionis at No. 20, followed by Utah's selection of Fighting Illini center Will Riley at No. 21 and the Orlando Magic's pick of Michigan State guard Jase Richardson at No. 25. The Brooklyn Nets then snagged Michigan big Danny Wolf at No. 27, before the Los Angeles Clippers claimed Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser at No. 30 to round out the first round. While the second round did not produce nearly as many Big Ten talents as the first, the most notable selection of the two-day event for Badger fans arrived late in the second round. After the Thunder selected Northwestern guard Brooks Barnizer at No. 44, Badger star John Tonje heard his name called by the Jazz at No. 53. With the pick, Tonje became the first Badger drafted since Johnny Davis went No. 10 overall to the Washington Wizards in 2022, plus second since Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker were picked in the first round of the 2015 draft. Tonje projects to suit up alongside fellow Big Ten alumnus Bailey during the 2025-26 campaign in Salt Lake City. He'll need to earn his minutes on a competitive second unit. Harper, Bailey, Queen, Richardson and Wolf will likely play a considerable number of minutes for their franchises, while Jakučionis, Niederhauser, Tonje, Barnhizer and Riley will look to earn opportunities. Nonetheless, the 2025 bunch symbolizes the sheer depth in talent across a loaded 18-team conference. The 2026 draft projects to produce another 10 Big Ten representatives, including Badgers center Nolan Winter. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Boston Globe
21 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
‘We got lucky:' Celtics' lead international scout details pursuit of first-round pick Hugo González
'With a minute or two left, he's just out there diving for the ball and close to getting hurt,' Matkevicius said. 'He does not care. He competes and just wants to win.' Matkevicius heard about another game in which González injured his elbow going up for a dunk. He was expected to miss the next game, but just wrapped it up and took the court. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'He's really a true competitor and fans will love him because of that Marcus Smart-type of effort that he just goes out there,' Matkevicius said. 'He guards multiple positions and dives on the floor. He just wants the ball more than anybody else.' Advertisement González now plays for Real Madrid's senior team that won the Spanish League by defeating Valencia on Wednesday, the same night In the days that followed, the reaction Matkevicius received from people in European basketball circles was loud and unanimous. 'I've never received as many messages after a draft as I did the next day from around Europe, from coaches and managers and scouts,' he said. 'There were a lot of messages I received that were just like, 'Man, great pick.' That was an indicator that usually doesn't happen, and it happened not only from Spain but from other teams as well. For value, for the range we picked at, we got lucky.' Related : Advertisement NBA veterans fill Real Madrid's roster, and the franchise's rich history brings big pressure to win, so it cannot really take time to serve as a talent incubator. That led to scattered opportunities for González this year. In recent seasons Matkevicius leaned on evaluations from González's games with Real Madrid's junior teams, as well as in international competitions with Spain's under-18 program. He first saw González play for Real Madrid in a junior tournament when he was about 15, still a year or two younger than most others on the court. 'He was already standing out with his athleticism, physical prowess, energy, motor,' Matkevicius said. 'He was fitting right in and playing well, already playing up.' González was still too young to truly be projected as an NBA draft prospect, so Matkevicius slotted him in his rankings for players in his age group and continued to monitor his progress. At the start of this season, Matkevicius began including updates about González in the reports he sent to the Celtics' front office every two weeks. He tried to predict Real Madrid matchups that might give González the best chance to play, but also came away impressed by games in which he was used sparingly. 'He can play around superstars easily,' Matkevicius said. 'He can fit in. One thing that always impressed me about him is when he's playing with the pros and is on the bench or gets subbed out, he's the loudest guy on the bench and it's sincere. He's really cheering for his teammates, really happy. He's not pouting, expecting playing time. He knows who he is and he's very self-aware, and that makes him personality-wise a good fit also.' Related : Advertisement González averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing 14.2 minutes per game in the Spanish League this season, connecting on just 27.1 percent of his 3-pointers. On draft night, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said González has the tools to become a more efficient offensive player, and Matkevicius agrees. He said it can be tough to evaluate shooting stats for a player whose opportunities are so sporadic. He believes González has good form and has shown at the junior level that he is quite comfortable with the ball in his hands. 'Obviously, the offensive game has to be refined because there's a lot of development left as a 19-year-old,' he said, 'but I wouldn't be afraid to throw him out there now, just because he's physically more advanced than the average 19-year-old and he's got the size and length and a lot of intangibles that already give him a good foundation to start his career.' … The Celtics will open Las Vegas summer league play against the Grizzlies on July 11 at 4 p.m. Boston will then play the Pistons (July 13, 4 p.m.), Heat (July 14, 8 p.m.), and Lakers (July 17, 9 p.m.) before having a final game added to the schedule. Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at
San Francisco Chronicle
31 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cooper Flagg looks comfortable in new home as No. 1 pick gets introduced in Dallas
DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg didn't wait for Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to break the silence with an opening statement as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft was introduced to a packed Dallas news conference. 'Hello,' Flagg said about the time the clock struck noon Friday. The 18-year-old former Duke star only grew more comfortable from there, two days after walking across the stage in Brooklyn to be greeted by Commissioner Adam Silver. Flagg was deferential to the history of European stars Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic — the latter being the generational talent traded in February, before the Mavs magically landed the potential of their next face of the franchise despite just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery. The Associated Press men's college player of the year quickly declared his love for Mexican food and barbecue — the same question all the Texas newcomers get — and easily rattled off Mount Rushmores for the NBA, and the WNBA. For those wondering, Flagg's NBA picks were Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and he appropriately skipped the last names of the last two. The WNBA choices were Candace Parker, Brittney Griner, A'ja Wilson and, after a brief pause to think, Caitlin Clark, 'because she's changed the game so much.' Of course, Flagg is about to join quite a collection of names in Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, all three with NBA titles on their resumes. Although fellow Duke alum Irving won't join Flagg on the court until possibly January as the nine-time All-Star recovers from a torn ACL, the Mavs are expecting a return to the playoffs after falling short in 2025, a year after Irving and Doncic led Dallas to the NBA Finals, where the Mavs lost to Boston in five games. Throw in third-year player Dereck Lively II — another ex-Duke player, and one who visited Flagg going into his only season with the Blue Devils last fall — and there are plenty of reasons to believe Flagg gets a softer landing than many top picks who end up in rebuilding situations. 'He's very lucky to have veterans, future Hall of Famers,' said coach Jason Kidd, a Hall of Fame point guard who was the second overall choice by the Mavericks 31 years ago. 'When you talk about Kai and Klay and then AD, just understanding the vets are going to protect him and help him, and they're going to push him.' Flagg flew to Dallas with Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont and both of their families. Among those at the team's practice facility near American Airlines Center was Mark Cuban, the high-profile former owner who sold a majority stake a year and a half ago to the Las Vegas-based Adelson and Dumont families and is now alternate governor. So was Mark Aguirre, the other No. 1 overall pick by Dallas in 1981. The 65-year-old was just a few seats from Shawn Marion, who played with Nowitzki on the franchise's only championship team in 2011. That row also included Rolando Blackman, a former player who represented the Mavs when they won the draft lottery. It was the first time in franchise history that Dallas had moved up in the lottery. Nearly the entire history of the 45-year-old franchise was represented when Flagg was asked about following Nowitzki, who has a statue outside the arena, and Doncic, whose departure was a heartbreaker for countless Mavs fans who no doubt got a boost with the arrival of the third one-and-done Duke player on the Dallas roster. 'I'm coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day,' Flagg said. 'And I think if I can do that to the best of my ability, I think expectations and pressures that other people will put on me and our team, that will kind of work itself out. So I'm just trying come in and be the best that I can be and just win at the highest level.' The 6-foot-9 Flagg's position is one of the more intriguing questions on the court, and the Mavs will have a void at point guard until Irving returns. 'I want to put him at the point guard,' said Kidd, who sat to Flagg's left on a stage, with Harrison on his right. 'I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts.' ___
