Two-time NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury knows ball and when he speaks, people tend to listen.
During a recent episode of the Ball Don’t Lie podcast, Marbury was full of praise for NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai may only be 25 years old but Marbury made the bold claim that the young guard is already the greatest player to emerge from the Great White North.
“He is the best basketball player from Canada,” said Marbury. “His ability with the basketball…it’s different, its uncanny. It’s not something that we have not seen.”
Marbury spoke of Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency on the court and his ability to perform night after night. He believes the Toronto native makes his teammates better by creating opportunities and his unique skillset gives the Oklahoma City Thunder a fighting chance on any given night.
"Shai is already the best Canadian basketball player ever. His skill set is something we haven't seen before. He's different"
– Stephon Marbury pic.twitter.com/ZcRAlJENyI
— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) February 14, 2024
The claim that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best basketball player out of Canada has created a debate among some NBA fans on social media. Steve Nash, also Canadian, is a two-time MVP and an eight-time All-Star. He played 18 seasons in the NBA and finished his career averaging 14.3 points per game, 8.5 assists and 3 rebounds over 1217 regular season games. Nash also led the NBA in assists on five different occasions and ranks fifth on the all-time assists rankings.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been exceptional this season for the Thunder and continues to exceed expectations. Over 53 games, he is averaging 31.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and shooting an incredible 54.6 percent from the field. He was selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game this year and his numbers just continue to improve year-over-year.
