Where Does SGA Rank Among The Greatest PGs Ever? Kenyon Martin Weighs In

Week in and week out, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives fans plenty of fodder for barber shop debates. One rather interesting discussion is: Where does SGA rank among the greatest point guards ever?

This topic was brought up in a recent live stream by the “Gil’s Arena” crew. When Brandon Jennings (himself a celebrated court general for a short span in the NBA) suggested that Gilgeous-Alexander is closing in on the distinction of point guard GOAT, Kenyon Martin immediately told his co-host to pump the brakes.

“He’s making a case for himself to be listed with those guys,” Martin said of SGA. “But Magic is in a lane by himself…and Steph is still a point guard. He’s still got that guy that he still has to surpass.”

Jennings, however, would not back down just yet: “If he does everything he did last year [NBA MVP, Finals MVP, champion], is he top three of all time?” Martin, who also refused to concede any ground, came back with another high-profile name. “That’s tough for me, because I’m an Isiah Thomas guy. Y’all forget about Zeke.”

As Jennings started to have fun with rage-baiting Martin, the former New Jersey Nets center threw out one more entry into the discourse. “Magic and Steph right now? That’s tough. And Oscar Robertson? That’s tough,” Martin added.

Is K-Mart too harsh on SGA? Not really. The two point guards that Martin has at the summit, Magic Johnson and Steph Curry, have resumes that are dripping in championship gold. Lest cultures of ring culture forget, both Johnson and Curry were the focal points of their respective teams when they won a combined tally of nine NBA titles. Gilgeous-Alexander has a long way to go before he matches that.

As for Isiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson, SGA may end up surpassing them in terms of major individual accolades. After all, Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning NBA MVP (an award that Thomas never won) and Finals MVP (something Robertson never accomplished).

But even Martin had to admit that the OKC Thunder franchise player will have to win both MVP trophies and a second NBA championship this season in order to enter that conversation. If this happens, the “Gil’s Arena” boys will certainly revisit this chat.