With the NBA Finals series tied 2-2 entering Game 5 on Monday night, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is playing for his legacy as one of the all-time greats. After an MVP season, where he averaged 32.7 points per game for Oklahoma City, which held the best record in the league with 68 wins, people are hinting at Kobe Bryant comparisons.
Game 4 of this series was pivotal as Indiana and Tyrese Haliburton had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. In true Kobe Bryant fashion, however, SGA responded with a superstar game and changed the complexion of the entire series by recording a stat line not seen in the NBA Finals since Jerry West in the 1962. ‘Shai Buttah’ finished with 35 points and zero assists. It is also only the third time that stat line has ever been recorded. SGA wasn’t trying to pass the rock down the stretch. It was his game to either take over or lose. In that regard he had a Mamba mentality for sure.
Lou Williams Says SGA Is Kobe Bryant Reincarnated
Former NBA guard Lou Williams compared SGA to Kobe, saying this week that “we are looking at Kobe Bryant being created.”
Williams’ comment was too much praise for NBA Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton, who still doesn’t think Shai has done enough to draw comparisons to Black Mamba.
Payton appeared along with Iso Joe Johnson, Hall of Famer Gary Payton and his faithful sidekick Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson on Shannon Sharpe’s “NightCap” podcast to discuss the matter.
Gary Payton Says Shai Never Will Compare To Kobe
In fact, Payton, one of the greatest defensive guards in history, says it’s still not close
“Nowhere near Kobe man, there’s going to be one Kobe that’s it. There’s only one Kobe, don’t yall compare people to people, especially somebody like Kobe Bryant. Let Shai be Shai, I don’t think he’s Kobe yet, I don’t think he’ll ever be Kobe,” said Payton, who played with Kobe for a season, “at his absolute apex,” according to Sharpe
“He’s a great basketball player but you guys slow down. Kobe was a different beast,” Payton added.
SGA vs. Kobe Bryant: The New Debate?
Looks like the next debate that will have fans of different eras at each other’s throats will be between SGA and Kobe Bryant, although older heads such as Payton still hold Kobe in such reverence that they can’t even begin to compare SGA to him, and for good reason.
Kobe has five rings and basically entered the league playing for keeps. SGA has a style of his own, which some say is based on flopping and not being highly skilled. That’s also debatable, but what you can’t question is the way he is willing to take it on his shoulders in crunch time. “We played with desperation,” SGA said of his team after the huge Game 4 win. Kobe would surely be proud of that.