<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/sneakers/shai-gilgeous-alexander-teases-new-pink-converse-shai-001-sneakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shai Gilgeous-Alexander teases new ‘Pink’ Converse SHAI 001 sneakers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-teases-new-Pink-Converse-SHAI-001-sneakers_93ffea.jpg"></figure><h1>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander teases new ‘Pink’ Converse SHAI 001 sneakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T12:29:19-07:00">September 12th, 12:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T12:32:09-07:00">September 12th, 12:32pm</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder franchise star, reigning MVP, and reigning NBA Champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken the league by storm over the last few years. Combining his smooth play on the court with arguably the NBA’s best style off the court, it comes as no surprise that the Canadian-native is the current face of the league. Recently, SGA stepped out in an all-pink outfit teasing the latest colorway of his signature Converse SHAI 001 sneakers.</p><p><i><b>Check our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers">Sneakers news</a> for more upcoming releases and breaking content!</b></i></p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made massive waves by forgoing a contract with the likes of Air Jordan or Adidas, instead opting for Converse as his landing spot for his growing signature line. SGA also serves as the Creative Director for Converse Basketball, expanding his reach much further into lifestyle apparel and updated looks for the classic brand.</p><p>Throughout last season, Gilgeous-Alexander won his first NBA Championship and MVP award while wearing the Converse SHAI 001. The shoes are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-unveils-new-shai-001-colorways-amid-converse-launch-sellout">officially slated to release</a> in new colorways throughout October following the debut of the “Butter” colorway.</p><h2>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals a new SHAI 001 colorway</h2><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">FIRST LOOK: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander debuts a new “Pink” Converse SHAI 001 👀🌸 <a href="https://t.co/KvYtoTzAMv">pic.twitter.com/KvYtoTzAMv</a></p><p>— JustFreshKicks (@JustFreshKicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustFreshKicks/status/1964069723345150257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander teases a pink Converse Shai 001. 👀🌸</p><p>📸: <a href="https://twitter.com/shaiglalex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shaiglalex</a> <a href="https://t.co/4mMdY6krKm">pic.twitter.com/4mMdY6krKm</a></p><p>— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/ComplexSneakers/status/1964067598510735647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><br>Pulling up to the club in an all-pink <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tres.stacks/video/7195606411215211819">outfit like Cam’ron</a>, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wore a new “Pink” colorway of his Converse SHAI 001. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers/shai-gilgeous-alexander-wears-new-charm-black-converse-shai-001">“Charm” color</a> dedicated to his mom, the “Hail Clay” for his wife, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sneakers/shai-gilgeous-alexanders-newest-converse-shai-001-masi-blue-revealed">“Masi Blue” for his brother</a>, it remains unclear who Gilgeous-Alexander will choose to honor with the upcoming pair.</p></figure><p>Keep a lookout for the aforementioned colorways to be releasing via Nike <a href="http://nike.com">SNKRS app</a> in early October. As for SGA and his debut sneakers, we should see a massive roll-out during the upcoming season as the model will only grow in popularity.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander teases new ‘Pink’ Converse SHAI 001 sneakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-free-throw-merchant-label-draymond-green-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throw merchant label draws Draymond Green take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Warriors-Draymond-Green.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throw merchant label draws Draymond Green take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-10T11:20:07-07:00">September 10th, 11:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-10T11:20:07-07:00">September 10th, 11:20am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a prolific season that ended with him being crowned as a 2025 NBA Finals MVP, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also earned the “free-throw merchant” moniker, which earned an interesting response from Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green. It’s the price one pays for ascending to become the new face of the NBA. Even Hall of Fame forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-is-shai-gilgeous-alexander-really-too-much-nice-guy-lebron-james">Charles Barkley had an opinion on Gilgeous-Alexander</a>.</p><p>Green pointed to Gilgeous-Alexander’s knack for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIt1OxDX0Wg" rel="noopener">getting to the free-throw line</a> as a skillset, and not a flaw as some perceive it to be, he said, per Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream.</p><p>“He’s going to get you a bucket. People complaining that he’s drawing fouls, but that’s a skill,” Green said. “There’s an art to it. If you’re a dumb defender and you foul, that’s your fault.”</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to get to the free-throw line is a widespread debate among NBA circles, including Draymond Green. At the same time, SGA finished second (8.8 FTA) in free throw attempts last year to Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.6) in 2024-25. Still, he was accused of baiting trips to the charity stripe.</p><h2><b>Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on ‘free throw merchant’</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander_ecdc5a.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-reacts-to-free-throw-merchant-from-timberwolves-fans">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed the free-throw merchant</a> label after beating the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. After Gilgeous-Alexander received chants from Timberwolves fans at the Target Center, he addressed the moniker with reporters during his postgame media availability.</p><p>“Fans are gonna do whatever they can do to help their team win and knock me off my game, me being the head of the snake of our team,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And that’s their job, that’s what creates home-court advantage, that’s what creates a fanbase, that’s what creates energy in the building, and they want the Timberwolves to win. They don’t want the Oklahoma City Thunder to win. So I expect nothing else.</p><p>“As far as the label, I don’t care. I never cared. I’ve said this before, I’ve shot more free throws in a season than I did this season. I think because we’re at the top of everyone’s radar, it’s a little bit more noticeable, and now people care about it, but I kind of see it as a compliment,” Gilgeous-Alexander concluded.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses the “Free-Throw Merchant” moniker:</p><p>“In terms of the label, I don’t care. Never cared. I’ve shot more free throws than I did this season. Because we’re on the top of people’s radar it’s a little more noticeable… kind of see it as a compliment” <a href="https://t.co/0oCnjwcube">pic.twitter.com/0oCnjwcube</a></p><p>— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1927213475379507399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The defending champion Thunder will raise its first championship banner at the Paycom Center on October 21.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throw merchant label draws Draymond Green take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-billy-donovans-classy-message-mark-daigneault-sam-presti-hof-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'Billy Donovan’s classy message to Thunder’s Mark Daigneault, Sam Presti at HOF night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Donovan-vs-the-Thunder.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Billy Donovan’s classy message to Thunder’s Mark Daigneault, Sam Presti at HOF night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-07T08:19:20-07:00">September 7th, 8:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-07T08:19:20-07:00">September 7th, 8:19am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-watch-marshawn-lynch-butcher-sgas-name">Oklahoma City Thunder are starting to turn</a> their attention away from the 2025 championship they just won and toward the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season, which is slated to begin in a month and a half. The Thunder are returning almost the exact same roster from last year that bulldozed through the Western Conference playoffs before holding on for dear life <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-capture-first-nba-championship-game-7-pacers">against the Indiana Pacers.</a></p><p>It was the first championship in the team’s Oklahoma City history, giving the franchise a huge weight off its shoulders. The last time Oklahoma City was in legitimate championship contention prior to this year was during the 2015-16 season, Kevin Durant’s last campaign with the Thunder, in which they went up 3-1 on the 73-win Golden State Warriors and then, you know the rest.</p><p>Recently, Billy Donovan, the current head coach of the Chicago Bulls who was the coach of the Thunder during that season, shouted out Oklahoma City for finally <a href="https://x.com/ThunderFilmRoom/status/1964489182837141968" rel="noopener">getting over the hump</a> during his Hall of Fame speech.</p><p>“Another person that was a great help to me was Mark Daigneault,” said Donovan, per Oh No He Didn’t on X, formerly Twitter. “Mark and I worked together a number of years at Florida before he moved on to Oklahoma City and the NBA, and when I came there, he was a great coach, a great partner, a great friend. I just want to congratulate Mark and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sam Presti, and Clay Bennett and their organization. What a great run, winning the championship. Really happy for you.”</p><h2><b>A classy gesture</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Jalen-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As Donovan referenced in his speech, he found great success at Florida, winning two national championships with the Gators, at which point he worked with Mark Daigneault before both moved on to the NBA.</p><p>While Daigneault did have the NBA’s best roster and arguably its second best player to work with, he still did an admirable job of leading one of the youngest teams in the NBA to the league’s mountaintop.</p><p>In any case, the Thunder now have just a few weeks remaining until they begin training camp for the upcoming season. The season itself will begin on October 21 against the Houston Rockets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Billy Donovan’s classy message to Thunder’s Mark Daigneault, Sam Presti at HOF night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-thomas-sorber-torn-acl');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Thomas Sorber to miss 2025-26 NBA season with torn ACL');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Thunder-rookie-Thomas-Sorber-1.jpg"><figcaption>SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Thomas Sorber to miss 2025-26 NBA season with torn ACL</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T14:51:35-07:00">September 5th, 2:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T15:38:00-07:00">September 5th, 3:38pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder rookie center Thomas Sorber will <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1964079318767710440" rel="noopener">miss the entire</a> 2025-26 NBA season after suffering a torn right ACL during an offseason workout, the team announced Friday afternoon.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-signs-first-round-pick-multi-year-contract">Sorber was drafted 15th overall</a> by the Thunder in June’s draft as a young building block for the future of the team’s frontcourt alongside Chet Holmgren. He will now begin his first NBA season on the sidelines rehabbing this knee injury, which occurred during an offseason workout in Oklahoma City on Thursday.</p><p>This is the second straight year that the Thunder’s first-round pick in the NBA Draft has suffered an ACL injury.</p><p>Nikola Topic, the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-what-nikola-topic-learned-lost-rookie-season">suffered a partially torn ACL in his left knee</a> while playing overseas for KK Mega Basket before he was drafted. He underwent surgery and missed the entire 2024-25 season.</p><p>Before Sorber was drafted in June by the Thunder, he spent one year at Georgetown. As a four-star recruit, Sorber stood out immediately with 20 points and 13 rebounds in his debut against Lehigh.</p><p>Unfortunately, he missed the end of his only collegiate season after undergoing season-ending toe surgery for a turf-toe injury.</p><p>Still, he managed to cement his status as a top-tier first-round prospect entering the NBA after averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He ranked second on the team in scoring and second in the nation in rebounding among freshmen.</p><p>The Thunder are coming off a historic 68-14 season, which resulted in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-capture-first-nba-championship-game-7-pacers">first championship in team history.</a></p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-ends-nikola-jokic-fourth-mvp-award">league’s reigning MVP</a>, enters the 2025-26 season looking to build off one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history alongside Holmgren and first-time All-Star Jalen Williams.</p><p>Oklahoma City retained their entire championship roster from last season, and it remains one of the league’s youngest teams.</p><p>While Sorber will not be able to play during the 2025-26 season, he will spend a lot of time learning from Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the frontcourt.</p><p>Further updates on Sorber’s status will be provided by the Thunder at a later date.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Thomas Sorber to miss 2025-26 NBA season with torn ACL

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-brooklyn-hires-former-thunder-executive-key-position');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets hire former Thunder executive to key front office position');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Sean-Marks.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Nets hire former Thunder executive to key front office position</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T13:57:47-07:00">September 5th, 1:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T13:57:47-07:00">September 5th, 1:57pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets continued a busy offseason on Friday by making a significant hire within their front office. According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the team <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1963993178320621816" rel="noopener">has hired</a> Acie Law as Director of Player Personnel. Law has served as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Director of Amateur Scouting since 2022 and won a championship with the team last season.</p><p>Before his time with the Thunder, he served as a scout with the Sacramento Kings for four seasons under general manager Monte McNair.</p><p>Law was a standout guard at Texas A&amp;M from 2003 to 2007, averaging 18.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 50/46/78 shooting splits during his senior season. He was the No. 11 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. However, he struggled to find success as a player in the NBA, appearing for six teams in four seasons before moving overseas and winning EuroLeague championships.</p><h2>Nets hire Thunder executive Acie Law as Director of Player Personnel</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Acie-Law.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Law replaces former Nets Director of Player Personnel J.R. Holden, who accepted a job under former Brooklyn assistant general manager Trajon Langdon with the Detroit Pistons last offseason. Holden had been with the Nets since 2019.</p><p>Law’s promotion to his position with the Nets comes after the most successful season in Thunder history. During his first year with Oklahoma City, the team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-chet-holmgreen-agrees-max-contract-extension-worth-up-to-250-million">drafted Chet Holmgren</a> and Jalen Williams, who have developed into stars over the last three seasons. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-exciting-take-thomas-sorber">The Thunder selected Georgetown center Thomas Sorber</a> with the No. 15 pick in June’s draft.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Nets are coming off a historic draft during which they made an NBA-record five first-round picks. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-2026-draft-class-could-fuel-tank-race">Brooklyn is expected to tank again this season</a>, aiming for a top selection in the 2026 draft, which features highly-touted prospects such as Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, and A.J. Dybansta. The team also has two second-round picks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets hire former Thunder executive to key front office position

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-believes-nil-ruining-college-experience');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Jalen Williams believes NIL is ruining the ‘college experience’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Jalen-Williams_d81593.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Jalen Williams believes NIL is ruining the ‘college experience’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T13:09:51-07:00">September 5th, 1:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T13:56:34-07:00">September 5th, 1:56pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-responds-stephen-a-smith-inconsistent-take">Jalen Williams called out ESPN’s Stephen A Smith</a>, he addressed NIL’s impact on collegiate athletes in the same interview. When the topic was mentioned, Williams jokingly expressed frustration for narrowly missing out on the opportunity after entering the NBA in 2022. However, after Jalen signed a five-year extension worth $287 million this summer, he’s no longer thinking about what he missed out on.</p><p>Still, Williams believes NIL would have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bwzDjBJqdM" rel="noopener">ruined the humble college experience</a> he and many others endured before entering the NBA, he said, via the Out The Mud podcast with Tony Allen and Zach Randolph.</p><p>“I think the only thing with giving kids that much money is you kind of ruin a little bit of the college experience ’cause like, looking at it for me, it was like low-key fun looking back,” Williams said. “Like some of my fun stuff was like not having money in college ’cause that’s like part of the experience. Everybody’s broke in college.”</p><p>Coming off of winning an NBA championship, only three years removed from his last season in college, Williams has come a long way from being a Santa Clara Bronco standout, who was selected 12th overall in 2022 by the Thunder. The All-Defensive Second Team and All-NBA Third Team All-Star forward undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him. Perhaps it’s the humble beginnings of being a broke college student that have made this past season all the more special.</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams responds to Stephen A Smith’s ‘inconsistent’ take</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Jalen-Williams-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>For many, Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-zach-lowe-fair-negotiation-jalen-williams-extension">Jalen Williams earned his max contract in 2024-25</a>. From making his first All-Star appearance to being a co-pilot to MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s dominating campaign, the Thunder inked the two, and, starting forward Chet Holmgren, to max long-term deals as an investment into its core of a potential dynasty. However, Williams still has receipts from what was said about him before he was crowned champion.</p><p>Williams addressed ESPN’s Stephen A Smith questioning his inconsistency amid the 2025 NBA Finals against the Pacers in his rant with the Out The Mud podcast.</p><p>“That’s the media. I’m never going to be perfect to anybody, and I’m not,” Williams said. “I don’t really need the league to give me flowers. I don’t really care. I have a ring. I’m really cool with it. Even the Stephen A thing; it goes from he’s inconsistent to now we’re the top 1 duo. I understand how it goes. I know how the game goes. There’s gotta be something to talk about. It’s like the news. The news is always negative.”</p><p>Williams silenced his critics with a 40-point performance in a momentum-shifting 120-109 Game 5 victory that gave the Thunder a 3-2 lead before closing out the Pacers in Game 7.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Jalen Williams believes NIL is ruining the ‘college experience’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-unveils-new-shai-001-colorways-amid-converse-launch-sellout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unveils new SHAI 001 colorways amid Converse launch sellout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Converse-SHAI-001-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Oklahoma-City-Thunder.jpg"><figcaption>CP - Images via Converse</figcaption></figure><h1>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unveils new SHAI 001 colorways amid Converse launch sellout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T22:07:30-07:00">September 4th, 10:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T22:07:50-07:00">September 4th, 10:07pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Exclusive</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander officially launched his signature shoe on Thursday, kicking things off with a hands-on release in Toronto.</p><p>While the day started in Canada, it ended for Gilgeous-Alexander in New York City at a taping of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, where Gilgeous-Alexander dropped some news regarding his shoes.</p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made an appearance at a KITH store in Toronto on Thursday morning to celebrate the launch of his signature shoe, the Converse SHAI 001 “Butter.”</p><p>“The story with the SHAI 001, if I had to title the book, would be versatility,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of the launch during NBA All-Star Weekend. “Versatility is the way I would say to describe me and how I go about things. I am a basketball player. I like to say I’m a model. On the court, I play both ends. And then the shoe, it can be worn on and off the court.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-KITH-Converse-SHAI-001.jpg"><figcaption>Converse</figcaption></figure><p>The launch saw Gilgeous-Alexander arrive and interact with some of the first buyers in line. It also featured an activation fridge where fans could win anything from tickets to the Oklahoma City Thunder game against the Toronto Raptors to signed SHAI 001’s as well as a KITH treats ice cream section with a new flavor after Shai’s, “Butter,” colorway.</p><p>The shoes saw a unique entrance to the sneaker marketplace, initially launching on websites like Converse and SNKRS as well as KITH and Undefeated LA stores on Thursday. Gilgeous-Alexander has worn the shoes both on and off the court, signaling its goal to be both a basketball shoe with lifestyle shoe potential.</p><p>“My favorite part of the shoe is probably the zip and the puff, the wing,” the Thunder star added. “It was two things – to add dimension to the shoe, and then to also give the shoe a little bit of a bulkier feel when worn off the court. I wanted to make sure that these parts of the shoe were identifiable no matter where you are in the arena. No matter how far away you are, you can see that wing means SHAI 001. That puff and zipper is special to Shai.</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Converse SHAI 001’s sellout on launch day, new colorways announced</b></h2><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoe sold out as expected on launch day, and the Oklahoma City Thunder star made an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to discuss winning an NBA Championship, gracing the cover of NBA 2K26, and the release of his signature shoe.</p><p>Towards the end of the segment, Gilgeous-Alexander unveiled three new family-inspired colorways for the SHAI 001’s.</p><p>“CHARM BLACK,” is the first colorway, named after mother, Charmaine.</p><p>“HAIL CLAY,” is the second colorway, named after his wife, Hailey.</p><p>“MASI BLUE,” is the third colorway announced, named after his brother, Thomasi.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-Thunder-Converse-SHAI-001.jpg.jpg"></figure><p>The three new colorways are set to be released on October 2nd.</p><p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had quite the summer. After winning the 2025 NBA Championship and being named NBA Finals MVP, the Thunder star was also named the cover athlete for NBA 2K26, signed a four-year $285 million supermax contract extension, and launched his first signature shoe.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are set to tip off the 2025-26 NBA regular season on Tuesday, October 21st when they host Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unveils new SHAI 001 colorways amid Converse launch sellout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-watch-marshawn-lynch-butcher-sgas-name');   ga('set', 'title', 'Watch Marshawn Lynch absolutely butcher Thunder star SGA’s name');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SGA-speaks.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Watch Marshawn Lynch absolutely butcher Thunder star SGA’s name</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T14:01:59-07:00">September 4th, 2:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T14:01:59-07:00">September 4th, 2:01pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-haters-face-harsh-free-throw-merchant-truth"> Oklahoma City Thunder are starting</a> to turn their attention away from the championship they won to cap off the 2024-25 season and toward the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, in which they will begin their quest for a repeat. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-charkles-barkley-hits-sga-nice-guy-lebron-james-take">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had</a> a pretty OK summer, winning the Finals MVP award and signing a contract that made him one of the richest players in NBA history.</p><p>Recently, former NFL Super Bowl-winning running back Marshawn Lynch was discussing some NBA 2k ratings on a podcast appearance and had a <a href="https://twitter.com/ThunderChats/status/1963652072886403227" rel="noopener">bit of trouble</a> pronouncing the star’s name while announcing his 98 overall rating, per ThunderChats on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Marshawn Lynch sayings Shai’s name went exactly as you thought it would 😂 <a href="https://t.co/eLJ8J7dyxa">pic.twitter.com/eLJ8J7dyxa</a></p><p>— ThunderChats (@ThunderChats) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThunderChats/status/1963652072886403227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Gilgeous-Alexander’s name is a mouthful, with most fans and pundits opting to refer to him as SGA, as Lynch did at the beginning of the video.</p><h2><b>Can the Thunder repeat?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Jalen-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder would appear to be in prime position to compete for another NBA championship this upcoming season, as they have returned nearly every piece from their 2024-25 roster.</p><p>The bad news for Oklahoma City is that no team in the last seven years has made it out of the second round the season after winning a championship, even though most of those teams entered the ensuing year with sky-high expectations similar to the Thunder.</p><p>Most recently, it was the Boston Celtics who were ushered out of the second round by the New York Knicks in a series in which Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles tear (although Boston was on the verge of going down 3-1 by the time that happened).</p><p>Before that, the Denver Nuggets met their demise in the form of the Minnesota Timberwolves a year after winning the 2023 championship.</p><p>Still, with the youth and elite defense they have on their roster, along with the league MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder figure to have the best chance of any of those teams to not only make it out of the second round, but accomplish a repeat as champions.</p><p>The Thunder will kick off their 2025-26 season with a game against the Houston Rockets on October 21 in front of their home fans, which will be preceded by a ring ceremony, with Kevin Durant having to watch his old team hang their first banner.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Watch Marshawn Lynch absolutely butcher Thunder star SGA’s name

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-is-shai-gilgeous-alexander-really-too-much-nice-guy-lebron-james');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really too much of a ‘nice guy’ like LeBron James?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander.jpg"><figcaption>NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Is Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really too much of a ‘nice guy’ like LeBron James?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T12:02:25-07:00">September 4th, 12:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T12:02:25-07:00">September 4th, 12:02pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the vocal, in-your-face, trash-talking kind of leader, but still a champion nonetheless, coming off a campaign where he won the scoring title, MVP, and drew LeBron James comparisons. Hall of Fame forward and analyst <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-charkles-barkley-hits-sga-nice-guy-lebron-james-take">Charles Barkley called Gilgeous-Alexander a “nice guy”</a> while comparing Gilgeous-Alexander’s approach to James. However, is that necessarily a bad thing?</p><p>Perhaps a product of his generation, Gilgeous-Alexander is closer to James than to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, two Hall of Fame talents who would get into teammates’ and opponents’ faces in the heat of battle while yielding championship runs.</p><p>Barkley pointed out <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1963316474652889581" rel="noopener">the contrasts in styles</a> between James, Jordan, and Bryant, per the Bill Simmons Podcast.</p><p>“The three best players I’ve ever seen are Michael [Jordan], Kobe [Bryant], and LeBron [James], and I’ll tell you the difference between the three. Michael and Kobe were dangerous. They will kill your a**. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock,” Barkley said. “He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different.</p><p>“The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great, great player. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you,” Simmons concluded.</p><p>Still, Gilgeous-Alexander produced one of the more dominant campaigns in recent NBA history, leading the Thunder to its first championship in franchise history. Oklahoma City’s depth separated itself from the rest of the league’s title contenders. The close-knit squad was the NBA’s youngest team with SGA, All-Star Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren leading the league’s most suffocating defense en route to a title.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander led by example, and his team followed suit. Then, the front office locked SGA, Williams, and Holmgren to long-term deals, cementing its core for the foreseeable future before Oklahoma City defends its title in 2025-26. With head coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation under contract through 2028, the Thunder should remain competitive in a loaded Western Conference with its core players entering their prime.</p><h2><b>Jalen Williams addresses ‘fun’ narrative surrounding Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-All-Star-Jalen-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-jalen-williams-responds-stephen-a-smith-inconsistent-take">Jalen Williams addressed ESPN’s Stephen A Smith’s narrative</a> suggesting the first-time All-Star find consistency amidst the 2025 NBA Finals. Williams quieted Smith with an emphatic 40-point performance in the Thunder’s 120-109 win in Game 5 against the Pacers.</p><p>However, for Williams, it was another example of the national media questioning the Thunder’s potential based on its overall demeanor, which Williams says <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtvkR6cFR0Q&amp;t=2012s" rel="noopener">he didn’t understand</a>, given his age and the dominating season the Thunder were having atop the Western Conference, he said, per the Out The Mud podcast.</p><p>“To speak to that ‘too much fun’ s***, it’s like, bro, I’m 22 years old, making millions of dollars, and we’re first in the West, what, you want me to be sad? I never understood that,” Williams said. “The defensive thing, I don’t know where that came from, but you guys know, you guys were on a great defensive team — it’s pride. I don’t want my man to score, and I don’t want the team to have to cover for me. So, that’s how it goes for me.”</p><p>For Williams, it’s Gilgeous-Alexander’s effort that sets the tone for the Thunder’s stifling defense.</p><p>“I think some of it starts with Shai, being the leader, Shai’s not afraid to pick up and play D,” Williams added. “It just trickles down from there. We also have the personnel to do it, adding Chet and Hart, having some people back there. You throw J-Will. All these guys are willing to come in and be like I’m not gonna be the weak link — that’s how we think.”</p><p>The Thunder will raise its first championship banner on Opening Night against the Rockets on October 21.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Is Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really too much of a ‘nice guy’ like LeBron James?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-charkles-barkley-hits-sga-nice-guy-lebron-james-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Charkles Barkley hits Thunder star SGA with ‘nice guy’ LeBron James take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/James-defends-SGA.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Charkles Barkley hits Thunder star SGA with ‘nice guy’ LeBron James take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T13:05:07-07:00">September 3rd, 1:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T13:05:07-07:00">September 3rd, 1:05pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-charles-barkley-thunder-bad-boy-pistons">Oklahoma City Thunder are still basking</a> in the glow of their recent NBA championship, which they won in seven games<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-mistake-nearly-cost-the-finals-says-charles-barkley"> over the Indiana Pacers.</a> Finals MVP, as well as the league MVP, both went to superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has staked a claim as one of the best players of his generation over the last couple of years.</p><p>Still, that isn’t stopping NBA old heads like Charles Barkley from taking <a href="https://nbaanalysis.net/shai-gilgeous-alexander-is-far-more-like-lebron-james-than-michael-jordan-claims-nba-legend/" rel="noopener">subtle jabs at him</a>, and simultaneously somehow finding a way to include Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in the discussion.</p><p>“The three best players I’ve ever seen are Michael [Jordan], Kobe [Bryant], and LeBron [James], and I’ll tell you the difference between the three. Michael and Kobe were dangerous. They will kill your a–. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock,” said Barkley, per the Bill Simmons Podcast (via NBA Analysis and NBACentral on X, formerly Twitter). “He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different. The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great, great player. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you.”</p><h2><b>Another cliché claim from Charles Barkley</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/all-of-Fame-forward-and-NBA-analyst-Charles-Barkley.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Older NBA fans have often used “fear,” “killer mentality,” and other easily disproven abstract concepts to explain why they admire Michael Jordan more than LeBron James, and it appears Gilgeous-Alexander has found his way into those conversations in the wake of the Thunder’s title, which in some ways could be viewed as a sign of respect.</p><p>While there were numerous teams who clearly had no fear of Michael Jordan, including most notably the Detroit Pistons, the same cannot be said about Gilgeous-Alexander, who clearly got into the heads of the Minnesota Timberwolves and others en route to his first championship this spring.</p><p>The Thunder are bringing back essentially the same roster from last year and looked poised to contend for a repeat, although no reigning champion has made it out of the second round the following year since 2018.</p><p>In any case, the Thunder will tip off their season at home against the Houston Rockets on October 21.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Charkles Barkley hits Thunder star SGA with ‘nice guy’ LeBron James take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-mistake-nearly-cost-the-finals-says-charles-barkley');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Daigneault’s mistake nearly cost Thunder the Finals says Charles Barkley');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-head-coach-Mark-Daigneault.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mark Daigneault’s mistake nearly cost Thunder the Finals says Charles Barkley</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T11:42:13-07:00">September 3rd, 11:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T11:42:13-07:00">September 3rd, 11:42am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Hall of Fame forward and NBA analyst Charles Barkley says Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault made a critical mistake that nearly cost him the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. After sticking with his double-big lineup, featuring Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, throughout the Thunder’s playoff run, coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-hints-at-potential-game-2-lineup-change">Daigneault changed his starting lineup for Game 1</a> at the Paycom Center.</p><p>After blowing a 15-point lead in Game 1’s 111-110 loss to the Pacers, Daigneault <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwZrfXG7M-Q&amp;t=1667s" rel="noopener">started</a> Cason Wallace over Hartenstein, which could have cost the Thunder the best-of-7 series, according to Barkley, he said, per The Bill Simmons Podcast.</p><p>“When [Daigneault] did that this year, I was like, what the hell? Then, they end up losing Game 1. Then, they blew them out in Game 2, but it didn’t matter because they got the split,” Barkley said. “Then, they won Game 3, and he finally went back to his lineup. Like, yo, man. You don’t change up things when you got the best team. You’ve been the best team in the NBA all season. Don’t do that again. You almost cost your team the championship.”</p><p>Daigneault switched back to his traditional lineups for Games 4 through 7, and for Barkley, it was the Thunder’s depth that separated them from the rest of the league.</p><p>“At the All-Star Game, I started making predictions, I said nobody can beat this Oklahoma City team four times in a row,” Barkley added. “They’re too good, man.”</p><h2><b>Mark Daigneault on switching back to Thunder’s starting lineup</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Thunder-head-coach-Mark-Daigneault-2.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Rojo-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-isaiah-hartenstein-started-over-cason-wallace">Mark Daigneault rationalized his starting lineup decision</a>, reinserting Isaiah Hartenstein over Cason Wallace, who started Games 1 through 3. After Game 4’s 111-104 win against the Pacers, Daigneault <a href="https://x.com/CAlmanza1007/status/1933734416494252518" rel="noopener">revealed</a> the reason behind the decision to revert to his traditional starting 5.</p><p>“That lineup has very distinct strengths, and you can draw on it at different times. It was a point to get Hartenstein more minutes tonight,” Daigneault said. “He’s been helpful in his minutes. But in terms of the lineup, we just go to every game and try to figure out the formula to win that game. That’s what we thought was best for a Game 4 win tonight.”</p><p>The Thunder would go on to win Game 5 and the title-clinching Game 7, 103-91, capturing its first championship in franchise history.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mark Daigneault’s mistake nearly cost Thunder the Finals says Charles Barkley

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-charles-barkley-thunder-bad-boy-pistons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Charles Barkley draws eye-opening Thunder, ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons comparison');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NBA-analyst-Charles-Barkley.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Charles Barkley draws eye-opening Thunder, ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons comparison</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T08:46:23-07:00">September 3rd, 8:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T08:46:23-07:00">September 3rd, 8:46am</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Charles Barkley has nothing but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-future-gets-promising-outlook-charles-barkley">positive things to say about the OKC Thunder</a>.</p><p>On Wednesday, he <a href="https://youtu.be/zwZrfXG7M-Q?t=1561" rel="noopener">took it another step further</a> by saying the NBA champions are much like the “Bad Boy” Pistons, per the Bill Simmons Podcast.</p><p>“They’re one of the deepest teams we’ve ever had in the NBA,” Barkley said. “They remind me a lot of the old Pistons back in the Isiah Thomas days. Everybody talked about Isaiah and Joe Dumars who were great, but Hartenstein is Laimbeer and then coming off the bench they had Sally, James Edwards, Benny Johnson, Mark Aguirre. I mean, they had like 10 players and you can just plug them in and it was amazing to watch them play. And they’re gonna be tough. The only thing you got to worry about with them is they’re going to get everybody’s best slap next year and it’s going to be a shock to their system. They’ve been like the cool little kids for the last couple years. They finally reached their potential. But now when you’re hunted, man, it’s a different animal.”</p><p>Essentially, Barkley made the case that the Thunder’s defense mirrors that of the Bad Boys. In other words, they play with grit and aggressiveness.</p><p>Granted, the Pistons were led by the likes of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars and had depth. The Thunder is led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-lou-williams-kobe-bryant-shai-gilgeous-alexander-comparison">who’s been compared to Kobe Bryant</a>.</p><p>But there is just as much depth on the Thunder. Barkley compared Isaiah Hartenstein to the likes of Bill Laimbeer without the hyper-aggression and volatility.</p><h2><b>Can the Thunder be the present-day “Bad Boys”?</b></h2><p>Much like the Pistons, the Thunder have a way of trapping star players and limiting their potential. In essence, mimicking what the Pistons deemed the “Jordan Rules” to stifle Michael Jordan’s ability to score at will with physicality.</p><p>At the time, the NBA rules and game was much different than how it is in the present day. The game was much more physical and the things they did then wouldn’t be accepted by today’s standards.</p><p>However, the Thunder seem to have managed to play within the bounds of the rules, but still playing tenacious defense that many have come to love and want more of.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Oklahoma City
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Thunder News: Get the latest Oklahoma City Thunder news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Thunder News

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• Watch Marshawn Lynch absolutely butcher Thunder star SGA’s name

• Is Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really too much of a ‘nice guy’ like LeBron James?

• Charkles Barkley hits Thunder star SGA with ‘nice guy’ LeBron James take

• Mark Daigneault’s mistake nearly cost Thunder the Finals says Charles Barkley

• Charles Barkley draws eye-opening Thunder, ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons comparison

Oklahoma CityThunder NEWS

Thunder News: Get the latest Oklahoma City Thunder news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Thunder News

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander teases new ‘Pink’ Converse SHAI 001 sneakers

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throw merchant label draws Draymond Green take

Billy Donovan’s classy message to Thunder’s Mark Daigneault, Sam Presti at HOF night

Thunder’s Thomas Sorber to miss 2025-26 NBA season with torn ACL

Nets hire former Thunder executive to key front office position

Thunder’s Jalen Williams believes NIL is ruining the ‘college experience’

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unveils new SHAI 001 colorways amid Converse launch sellout

• Watch Marshawn Lynch absolutely butcher Thunder star SGA’s name

• Is Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really too much of a ‘nice guy’ like LeBron James?

• Charkles Barkley hits Thunder star SGA with ‘nice guy’ LeBron James take

• Mark Daigneault’s mistake nearly cost Thunder the Finals says Charles Barkley

• Charles Barkley draws eye-opening Thunder, ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons comparison

Oklahoma City
Thunder NEWS