Magic Johnson hails birth of new superstar amid electrifying NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs are coming down to the wire, with the conference finals set to begin. Four teams remain and it hasn’t exactly shaped up how many people thought. The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Denver Nuggets in the west to advance to face the Dallas Mavericks, while the Indiana Pacers got past the New York Knicks in order to take on the Boston Celtics. Magic Johnson is always one to be watching all the action and he was very vocal about the one player who he believes has hit superstar status: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:

“And let me just say, we have a superstar in this league – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander! After his performance last night and throughout the Playoffs, we are going to enjoy watching him for many years to come.”

That’s not news to any hoop fan out there. SGA was one of the best players in the Association in 2023-24 and helped the OKC Thunder secure the top seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get past the Mavs in the conference semifinals, but Gilgeous-Alexander did his part.

The young Canadian averaged 30.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 43% shooting from downtown in these playoffs. He did truly everything to help get OKC to the next round, but Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving proved to be too much for the young Thunder.

MVP season for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Magic Johnson knows ball, but it’s not hard to see that SGA is a top-five player in the Association. Yes, Oklahoma City is just a good team overall. However, the No. 1 reason they were the best out west is because of Gilgeous-Alexander’s heroics on a nightly basis.

Although he lost the MVP to Nikola Jokic, the former Kentucky standout posted averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 75 games while shooting 53% from the field and 35% from deep. Perhaps the most impressive part is that SGA doesn’t take a lot of threes, which means he does most of his scoring either in mid-range or at the cup. He isn’t afraid to get downhill and attack.

SGA not the only bright star

Magic Johnson is forgetting Anthony Edwards, too. The youngster just took the Timberwolves to the conference finals, eliminating the defending champions in the process. That is not easy to do and Antman did it with all the confidence and swagger.

He picked up his production in the playoffs, putting up averages of 28.9 points, 6.2 boards, and 5.9 dimes per night while shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc. Edwards helped propel Minny to a 20-point comeback in Game 7 on Saturday in Denver.

Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards are built for the big moment and Magic Johnson knows all about just that. It’s not surprising to see him resonate with someone like SGA, a versatile guard with all the skills you need to excel in the league. Sounds similar to himself, doesn’t it?

SGA will be looking to lead the Thunder to the Promised Land again next year after falling just short and there’s little doubt he’ll continue to be a superstar for many years to come. He just has that IT factor.