"Greatest Thunder of all-time" - Kendrick Perkins makes bold claim about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander downplaying Kevin Durant's OKC legacy

OKC Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the admiration of fans and the media. Former champion Kendrick Perkins joined the long list of media personnel to tout the greatness of the former Kentucky Star.

On Friday's episode of ESPN's NBA Today, Kendrick Perkins boldly called Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the greatest Thunder of all time. Perkins - who once played for OKC - highlighted his impressive stats and compared him to Michael Jordan.

"Let's talk about SGA, the greatest Thunder of all time. ... He already joined the company of Michael Jordan this year, three consecutive seasons, 30 shooting over 50%," Kendrick Perkins said. "Now he hoisted up the MVP trophy, and now he's on his way to go into the NBA Finals, and he's going to win the NBA Championship. ... He's going to become finals MVP."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - in winning the coveted MVP award - received 71 out of 100 first-place votes. He edged out Nikola Jokic - who got 29 first-place votes, and Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo - who finished third.

SGA - who led the league with 32.7 points per game, 6.4 assists, and 5 rebounds - shot 50 percent from the field and 89.8 percent from the free-throw line thus making him one of the most efficient scorers.

With this MVP award, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Shai becomes eligible for a five-year, $380 million super-max extension in the summer of 2026. Although he's currently eligible to sign a four-year, $293 million extension with the Thunder this offseason.

The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the regular season with a 68-14 record. They're currently in the Western Conference Finals, 2-0 up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

---

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his way to accomplish a great feat in league history

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't let the MVP trophy get in the way of his game. After receiving the Michael Jordan trophy on Thursday, he led the Thunder to a Game 2 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He can join a rare company with the Thunder 2-0 in the series. He is en route to being among only three players to have led the league in scoring and go on to win Finals MVP: Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Shai and the Thunder are two games away from the NBA Finals. They travel to Minneapolis to face the T-Wolves in Game 3 of the series, which is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST.