SALT LAKE CITY — It took until the second quarter, but Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally stepped on the floor to make his All-Star debut.
After being voted in as a reserve, Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed the fruits of his labor by participating in the All-Star festivities among the best players in the league.
“Super fun … ,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about his weekend. “(I) tried to soak it up as much as possible. Tried to spend as much time with my loved ones as possible.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s team — Team Giannis Antetokounmpo — also came away with the win, 184-175, against Team LeBron James. Although by the start of the second half, neither team had their captain on the floor.
In the inaugural All-Star draft, Gilgeous-Alexander went fifth among the reserves and was Antetokounmpo’s third selection.
In 10 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, seven assists and two rebounds. The 30-points-per-game scorer played the third-fewest amount of minutes on his team.
Gilgeous-Alexander only made appearances in the second and third quarter, with him making a side-step 3 and two shots in the paint, including a single dunk, being his only made field goals.
The lack of playing time sent Thunder fans into a frenzy during the game, with complaints over Gilgeous-Alexander’s playing time not being sufficient enough for the fifth-leading scorer in the league.
Despite the limited action, Gilgeous-Alexander had no complaints and was more dialed into enjoying the moment.
“It’s cool,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked about Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s minutes distribution. “I’m just honored to be here (and) play with the best players in the world and showcase my skills at this stage.”
As Gilgeous-Alexander enjoys the remaining three days of the All-Star break, the 24-year-old will shift his focus back to the last 25 games of the season as the 28-29 Thunder look to make a playoff push trailing the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks by 1.5 games.
QUOTES
SGA on where his first All-Star made shot — a sidestep 3 — ranks in his career: “It’s top 5 for now. I’m planning to have more memories.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on LeBron blocking his dunk attempt: “He wasn’t playing defense and the one time I tried to get a dunk, he wants to play defense.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on the All-Star draft format: “It was cool. It was fun. Took a little bit longer than I expected but it was cool (and) fun.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on his OKC jacket he wore last night: “I’ve had it for a few years now but I told myself that I wasn’t going to wear it until I was in the All-Star game.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA: “I had to top the jacket from yesterday so I had to come with the fur coat.” pic.twitter.com/gpqYLhanyU
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on Joe Mazzulla’s decision to only play him 10 mins: “It’s cool. I’m just honored to be here (&) play with the best players in the world and showcase my skills at this stage.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA said he wanted to represent the city during All-Star weekend with his OKC jacket
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on Jalen Williams wearing his All-Star jersey in the crowd tonight: “That’s my little bro. He better… It’s funny because I wore his (jersey) the day of his (Rising Stars) game.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on what his 10-year-old version would’ve said to him tonight: “Shoot more balls and pass less.”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
SGA on Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown dueling it out in the All-Star game: “That was cool. Hopefully one day I got a teammate in the (All-Star) game (to do that with).”
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) February 20, 2023
I asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if Thursday feels any different for the #Thunder given the standings and that it’s against the Jazz. pic.twitter.com/ncl4hpJUlh
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) February 20, 2023
SGA says he’s actually had the OKC jacket he wore on Saturday night for a couple years now.
He had been waiting until he made the NBA All-Star Game to break it out. pic.twitter.com/yftXlll5Jx
— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) February 20, 2023
HIGHLIGHTS
Shai's first bucket as an All-Star! ✔️ pic.twitter.com/5tQm7jnzZD
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 20, 2023
Shai drives and rises 🆙 pic.twitter.com/LG9d8i2tu9
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 20, 2023
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 20, 2023
Serving dimes to the stars 😌 pic.twitter.com/3HigZc1f2n
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 20, 2023
Shai getting crafty in SLC 😎 pic.twitter.com/Zv9thlO1iE
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 20, 2023
