THE PLAYER WHO has mentored Shai Gilgeous-Alexander essentially the most, and made essentially the most impression on him, is somebody he performed with for simply 17 months. Virtually instantly upon his arrival in Oklahoma Metropolis, Chris Paul noticed qualities and values within the then-21-year-old that mirrored his personal: the unrelenting devotion to routine, the virtually compulsive eye for particulars, the power to see the longest view. Gilgeous-Alexander was consistently over at Paul’s condominium that yr, attempting to soak in as a lot as he may from one of many best level guards of all time. They skilled collectively. Ate breakfasts and dinners collectively. Went to G-League video games and talked hoops for hours. “Shai is only a basketball junkie,” Paul tells ESPN. “Even now, we is likely to be on the cellphone watching a sport, simply speaking about what we see.” However simply as Paul is about to proceed describing a participant he now considers household, he stops. “You can not write this story with out speaking to his mother,” he says. “Maintain on. I’ll name her.” He patches her in. -via ESPN / April 8, 2024
