“Cocky In My Own Way”: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Sheds ‘Humble’ Side After Leading OKC’s 2-0 Assault vs Pelicans

Amongst the various players making waves during the ongoing NBA tournament, the name of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seems to be getting mentioned alongside them. His consistency and his effort as the team leading’s scorer helped the Oklahoma City Thunder established a suitable win record during the regular season, which further allowed them to qualify for the playoffs. The player’s contribution is paying off here as well, as the Thunder recently secured a 2-0 win record against the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the aftermath of Game 2, Gilgeous-Alexander proceeded to engage in a ‘Q & A’ session with several media members. During the same, he was asked his thoughts on Chet Holmgrem’s post-game interview, during which he stated “He’s (Gilgeous Alexander) too humble to say it, but this is the MVP right here. MVP of the league. Imma say it for him cause he won’t say it”. Keeping the ‘MVP’ praise on the side, the 2x NBA All-Star instead focused on whether the remark about his nature had any truth to it.

“I’m humble but cocky in my own way, I’d say” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “I have a lot of confidence. I don’t always exert it and show it but I’m a very confident guy”.

Both the above-mentioned remarks were made after the OKC defeated the Pelicans through a score of 124-92. Leading the youngest reported playoff team in the history of the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexander himself proceeded to drop his highest postseason score of 33 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Holmgren himself provided a significant contribution in the form of 26 points. With the recent win bringing the franchise one step closer towards proceeding to the next stage of the playoffs, no wonder that the OKC center was so confident in giving out the ‘MVP’ title to his teammate.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once mentioned learning the art of humbleness from his mother

In a sport like the NBA, where players need to keep maintaining a competitive drive in order to succeed, it’s not rare for players to sometimes reportedly display a certain level of arrogance. However, Gilgeous-Alexander is someone who doesn’t let the situation decide his on-court temperament. If there is someone who can be credited for teaching this quality to the 2x NBA All-Star, then that is his mother, Charmaine Gilgeous.

“Growing up, with anything we did, she never let us get cocky,” said Gilgeous-Alexander during an interview back in 2019. “She always told us and showed us to have confidence in ourselves, but never take it overboard. Keep it as confidence.”

Charmaine Gilgeous knows the challenges that come with being a professional sportsperson. After all, she herself is a former track athlete and sprinter, who represented Antigua and Barbuda during the 1992 Summer Olympics. While the NBA player has admitted that her mother “doesn’t like to talk” about her sports career, it certainly didn’t stop him from taking in the valuable lessons that she provided. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s patience and ‘humble’ nature has served him well till now. If the Oklahoma City Thunder manage to go to the next stage of the tournament, however, the pressure to do well will only increase. Whether the player will remain humble till then remains to be seen.