Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Becoming NBA 2K Cover Athlete Causes More NBA Memes

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander capped off a monumental 2024-25 NBA season, which he won a championship in, with another individual honor.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Becoming NBA 2K Cover Athlete Causes More NBA Memes

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Image by FirstSportz)

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The OKC Thunder were widely tipped to win the NBA title after a historic regular season campaign. They were hailed as favorites to emerge from the playoffs as the youngest NBA champions in over 40 years. A large part of the credit for their impressive 2024-25 season has to go to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 26-year-old capped off a season he averaged 32.7 points per game with MVP and Finals MVP.

The 6’5″ guard blossomed as a scorer, finishing with his highest ever scoring average and the scoring title. Their title ensured that SGA passed Michael Jordan, albeit narrowly, for the record of highest ppg for an NBA champion. Many haters try to minimize how good his scoring skillset and instincts on offense are due to his free throw rate. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is proof that keeping your head down really works.

Over the past three years, OKC have risen from 9th in the regular season standings to bag the No. 1 seed in back-to-back years. This consistency has seen the team’s popularity and recognizability return to their Big 3 days. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden made a huge impact on NBA fans in their heyday. But the team, even with three future MVPs, was not the juggernaut they have become of late.

A casual fan only subjected to the discourse around SGA through Instagram comments and tweets could be out of the loop. But his popularity is now among the big leagues of NBA superstardom in every way. A chance to grace the cover of the NBA 2K game is something only players with ‘face of the league’ potential get. 2K Sports announced this piece of news on Tuesday to fans of the gaming franchise.

ESPN NBA insider posted the update about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander becoming the latest NBA player to grace the cover of the wildly popular sports gaming franchise.

This continues the trend of younger players gracing the cover of NBA 2K. The previous NBA stars to get this honor are Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker and Luka Doncic – all players in the middle of their primes now.

Fans react to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Becoming the NBA 2K Cover Athlete

As expected, a whole host of new-age fans welcomed this move crowning only the second Canadian NBA MVP in history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a tear of late, and his playing style has drawn comparisons to the likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan based on his fluidity, ability to deceive defenders and keep them on their toes.

Shai Gilgeous Alexander
Shai Gilgeous Alexander (Imagn)

Much of this improved reputation has been reflected in the general tone of the fans’ reactions.

However, the reputation that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now been loaded with – that of a free throw grifter, also came to the fore in the memes that came about.

Irrespective of how some hurt fans seething from his recent successes may think, this marks a landmark moment in the young star’s career. The basketball community, while ruthless, can’t deny the impact that SGA is having on young and new fans’ minds.

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