Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put a stamp on his remarkable 2024-25 season after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the city’s first NBA championship.

SGA joined a very short list of players who won an NBA title, regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP while leading the league in scoring. The list includes Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and SGA. Before SGA’s amazing season, Shaq was the last scoring leader to win a championship and MVPs in the same season. Jordan is the only player to pull off the rare feat more than once (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998). Jordan and Shai, who averaged a league-leading 32.7 points per game, are the only guards to win a scoring title and championship in the same season.

“It’s hard to believe I’m even part of that group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said during his postgame media session with the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy sitting on the table. “It’s hard the fathom that I’m that type of basketball player. As a kid, you dream. Every kid dreams. But you don’t really know if it’s gonna come true. I’m just glad my dreams were able to come true.”

Shai also became the first player since Stephen Curry in 2015 to win MVP and a championship in the same season, and first player since LeBron James in 2013 to win regular season MVP and Finals MVP honors in the same season.

Where does Shai rank on OneManFastBreak’s annual top-five list? Take a look at this year’s OMFB Furious Five.

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Each year OneManFastBreak.net ranks the five best players in the NBA. The OMFB Furious Five pays homage to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: snake, crane, monkey, praying mantis, and tiger.

The ranking system is based on one man’s opinion and does not follow or conform to any standard format, with more emphasis placed on how each player and their respective teams performed in the postseason. Stars are born during the regular season, but legends are made in the playoffs.

In 2024, OMFB Furious Five featured Jaylen Brown (5), Giannis Antetokounmpo (4), Luka Doncic (3), Jayson Tatum (2), Nikola Jokic (1).

Without further ado, here are the five best basketball players in the world.

5-JALEN BRUNSON
New York Knicks, Guard

Jalen Brunson’s arrival in New York may be one of the league’s most transformative acquisitions of the past decade. The two-time NCAA champion from Villanova has blossomed into one of the NBA’s best players after spending four seasons riding the pine in Dallas.

Jalen is arguably the most impactful player to wear a Knicks jersey since Patrick Ewing, and he’s giving New York its best shot at ending a five-decade title drought. Brunson was named to the 2025 All-NBA second team and received the Clutch Player of the Year for his uncanny ability to deliver big shots in the big moments for the Knicks.

During the regular season, he averaged 26.0 points and 7.3 assists across 35.4 minutes per game in 65 games. He amped it up in the postseason, averaging 29.4 points and leading the Knicks to their first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. He hit the 30-point mark in four of the six games in the conference finals against the Pacers, but it wasn’t enough as the Knicks fell in six games.

A week after being eliminated, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. Knicks brass felt the team — with Brunson as the leader — is close to winning a championship, and it was time for a new voice and a coach who can help Brunson and the Knicks get over the hump. Brunson’s decision to sign a four-year, $156.5 million extension shows he’s prioritizing bringing a championship to New York above all else. He could have signed a five-year, $269.1 million max deal, but by giving the Knicks the hometown discount and allowing the franchise salary cap flexibility.

4-GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward

A calf strain forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to watch his Bucks get eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. This year, Giannis and Bucks watched Damian Lillard rupture his Achilles tendon in the first round and the Pacers eliminated the Bucks for a second straight season.

Giannis put together another outstanding season, averaging 30.4 points (second in NBA), 11.9 rebounds (sixth in NBA), a career-high-tying 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.1% from the field (sixth in NBA). Giannis led the Bucks to the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup championship and named the Emirates NBA Cup MVP.

As long as Giannis is healthy and playing, the Bucks remain one of the top teams in the East. But for how long will he keep playing for the Bucks? Only Giannis knows the answer.

“I feel like there’s a lot of time that life has made me said or, like, frustrated since I was a kid – I never gave up,” Antetokounmpo said following the Bucks’ season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers. “I always try to find solutions in my life, which I think it translates to the basketball court. I always try to, even though things might not happen the way I want it to happen, I always have class and I have this optimistic mentality of coming back, keep on working and there’s going to be a day that’s gonna be your turn. It cannot always go your way.”

3-TYRESE HALIBURTON
Indiana Pacers, Guard

Tyrese Haliburton redefined what it meant to be “clutch” in the 2025 NBA postseason. Since the NBA’s play-by-play era began in the 1996-97 season, LeBron James has the most postseason shots to either tie or take the lead in the final three seconds of regulation or overtime with eight. Before the 2025 postseason, no one else had more than four in nearly the past 30 years. Haliburton delivered four game-tying or game-winning shots in one postseason run — one clutch shot in each round.

The 25-year-old Pacers point guard played like a man possessed. You could tell Hali was bothered by being labeled “overrated” by an anonymous panel of his peers, which was published by The Athletic. Haliburton wore that “overrated” label like a badge of honor. He used the disrespect as motivation in authoring the greatest playoff run by a single player. He took it out on his peers, sending them home in the playoffs one by one.

Haliburton sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks home in the first round and he sent Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers home in the conference semifinals. Both series ended in five games, with Haliburton playing a key role in slamming the door. Haliburton gave us one of the most iconic moments in sports with his game-tying shot at Madison Square Garden, making him public enemy No. 1 in New York City.

The Pacers came back from a nine-point deficit in 52.5 seconds in Game 1, with Haliburton sinking a dagger jump shot that bounced five feet in the air before swishing through the net. The dagger shot and the choke sign celebration — an ode to Reggie Miller’s pose in front of Spike Lee — will linger in the memories of Knicks fans for a long time. The “Hali Clutch Tour” rolled into Oklahoma City in the Game 1 of the NBA Finals and didn’t disappoint. Haliburton’s 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its first and only lead of the game as the Pacers struck down the Thunder 111-110. “Man, basketball’s fun. Winning is fun,” Haliburton said after his game winner.

An Achilles injury was the only thing that derailed the Haliburton train. He seemingly was well on his way to a big Game 7 in the NBA Finals when his Achilles tendon snapped seven minutes into the first quarter. When Hali fell to the ground he pounded the floor, not just from the pain he was feeling on his foot but from the emotional pain. His body failed him at the worst possible time.

2-NIKOLA JOKIC
Denver Nuggets, Center

Nikola Jokic has been so consistently good the past five years that we’ve grown accustomed to his basketball brilliance.

The Joker is one of nine players to win at least three MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5), Wilt Chamberlain (4), LeBron James (4), Larry Bird (3), Magic Johnson (3) and Moses Malone (3).

Jokic had the best season of his career in 2024-25, which is absurd considering Joker is a three-time MVP and 2023 NBA champion. This past season, he averaged a career-high 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, a career-high 10.2 assists and a career-high 1.8 steals while shooting 57.6% from the field and a career-high 41.7% from three in 36.7 minutes per game. He became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple double for a single season, joining Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. Westbrook and Robertson are guards and primary ball handlers, which makes Jokic’s triple-double season even more impressive considering he’s a center.

The big man from Serbia was named to his fifth All-NBA first-team selection for the fifth consecutive year and finished second in the MVP voting. He led the Denver Nuggets to the second round before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games. Jokic’s size and skill gave OKC all kinds of problems, and if the Nuggets had better production from their bench they might have knocked off OKC.

Time will tell where Jokic will ultimately land on the list of all-time great centers. Jokic’s resume speaks for itself. But in order for Joker to match or surpass Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Moses, Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan, he needs to win more than just one NBA championship.

And now, the No. 1 player in the world. Drum roll please . . .

1-SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
Oklahoma City Thunder, guard

Lou Williams had a front row seat to Shai’s early development having been his teammate during SGA’s rookie season with the Clippers. He observed how Shai dedicated himself to improving at just 20 and is now seeing him emerge as one of the best basketball players in the world at age 26.

Lou Will said this about Shai on the “Run It Back” podcast on FanDuel TV: “He was always a responsible player who carried himself like a mature professional. He had big aspirations and was clear about his endgame. He knew his abilities.”

SGA embodies the qualities of a throwback player who understands the importance of consistency and patience in achieving the ultimate goal of winning a championship.

Behind Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder (68-14) finished atop the NBA and tied for the sixth-best single-season record in league history. Oklahoma City outscored opponents by an NBA-record 12.9 points per game.

Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 32.0 points and 6.0 assists per game and shoot 50.0% or better from the field in a season. Jordan accomplished the feat twice (1989 and 1990).

Shai had his Jordan moment in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. He came up big in a must-win game for the Thunder. A loss would have meant a 3-1 hole. A win meant the series tied 2-2.

The Pacers had an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the series after taking a four-point lead with four minutes left in the game. That’s when SGA put on his Batman cape and took over.

“I just tried to be aggressive. I knew what it would look like if we had lost [Game 4], and I didn’t want to go out not swinging,” SGA said about taking over in the last three minutes.

“I didn’t want to go out not doing everything in my power to try to win the game,” he added. “The guys deserve that much from me, the coaching staff deserves that much from me. I just tried to be aggressive, but also let the game come to me and not to force anything and not do anything crazy. I guess it paid off.”

Shai absolutely sensed the moment, scoring 13 of his team’s final 14 points including a contested step-back baseline jumper over Aaron Nesmith where he nearly fell to the floor but somehow regained his balance and buried a clutch shot to give OKC the lead for good.

He finished the game with a game-high 35 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line in leading OKC to a 111-104 victory to tie the series. The Thunder went on to beat the Pacers in seven games to win the championship.

“That’s what it is all about. Winning, especially at this time of the season, it comes down to the moments, it’s gonna come down to end of game … it’s gonna come down to the moments where who makes winning plays,” Shai said. “I relish those moments. Love the moments, good or bad. When I was a kid shooting on my driveway, I’ve count down the clock for those moments and I now get to live it. It’s fun. I relish it.”

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel at @onemanfastbreak1.

Photo credits: Associated Press and Getty Images

LeBron James was named 2020 NBA Finals MVP. (Getty Images)

Haters are gonna hate. Those are the words of the great American lyricist Taylor Swift.

LeBron James has been so historically great that we tend to overlook or even dismiss his greatness. His resume is about as complete as any legendary hooper. His legacy is set. He doesn’t need to prove anything. However, no matter how much success he has achieved, LeBron still has detractors. There seems to be this “but” at the end of some LeBron narrative. No matter how many records James breaks, his haters find something to pick on.

He took a below average Cleveland squad to the 2007 NBA Finals, but he got swept by San Antonio.

He won two championships in Miami, but he lost to Dallas and San Antonio.

He ended Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought in 2016, but he lost three out of four times in The Finals to Golden State.

It doesn’t seem to matter what LeBron does. It is never enough to shut down the haters. And that’s fine with him because it is the very thing that fuels his thirst to strive for greatness.

Add winning a championship for basketball’s version of Camelot to LeBron’s outstanding resume. James ended the worst six-year period in Lakers history after winning the 2020 NBA title inside the Disney World bubble. When you bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy to L.A., you elevate your GOAT card from gold to platinum. He is now firmly in the top five, joining Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant.

“I told [Lakers owner] Jeanie [Buss] when I came here that I was gonna put this franchise back in the position where it belongs,” James said during the postgame ceremony shortly after securing his fourth NBA title with his third franchise and winning his fourth Finals MVP. He’s the first player to win Finals MVP with three different teams. He won it twice with the Miami Heat, once with the Cleveland Cavaliers and L.A. Lakers.

“For me to be a part of such a historical franchise is an unbelievable feeling,” James said. “Not only for myself but for the organization, for the coaches, for the trainers, for everybody here. We just want our respect. Rob [Pelinka] wants his respect. Coach [Frank] Vogel wants his respect. Organization wants their respect. Laker Nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect, too.”

How can you not respect what James has done in his career? What he has accomplished in the postseason alone should be enough to give him the respect he richly deserves. He took down Oklahoma City and its three MVPs Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook in 2012. He took down the mighty Golden State Warriors and their three sure-to-be Hall of Famers Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in 2016. And in 2020 at age 35 and his body battered by 17 grueling seasons, he somehow found the mental and physical strength to lead the Lakers to their 17th world championship in arguably the most difficult NBA season. He didn’t have the benefit of home-court advantage. His team was mourning the death of Kobe. He had to deal with all the stress happening outside the bubble such as the protests nationwide over racial injustice and the deadly pandemic that put the world on lockdown.

“They’re all special in their own right. They all have their obstacles,” James said of his four championships. “Things that went on during the course of the year on and off the floor. But one is not less than the other. When you are able to put yourself in this position to win a championship the first thing you think about is how much work you put in over the course of the year. How much you’ve sacrificed, how much you’ve dedicated to the game and to your craft. That’s always been the most fulfilling thing for me besides seeing my teammates as happy as they are. Being able to knowing that you can put the work in, literally trust the process, live about the process and then see the results. Not only from a basketball player but from everybody. Whatever craft, whatever work space you’re in to be able to put the work in and live along the process and build along the process and see the results, I think we all live for that moment.”

For the LeBron doubters who feel that winning a title in the bubble isn’t legitimate or must be marked with an asterisk, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka delivered the perfect response.

“We had to face so many things,” Pelinka said. “The social unrest that the country faced. The January 26 tragedy [when Kobe Bryant died]. The pandemic. They really draw you deeper to what matters; your faith, your family, your friends. I think what we’ve been able to accomplish means even more because it was hard. A lot of people say ‘Oh, will there be an asterisk on the 2020 championship?’ I think there’ll be a gold star, a badge of honor, because it’s been so tough to get to the end.”

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel competed against LeBron when he was the coach of the Indiana Pacers for five seasons. He found a greater appreciation for LeBron after coaching him for one season in L.A. “He’s the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Vogel said. “If you think you know, you don’t know until you are around him every day coaching him, you’re seeing his mind, you’re seeing his adjustments, seeing the way he leads the group. If you think you know, you don’t know.”

Vogel added: “Coaching against him, you don’t think you can be any more impressed with what he brings to the table. But then when you coach him you understand that it’s more impressive coaching him than coaching against him because of the intellectual mind that he has about the game of basketball and all that goes into it. The importance of defense, the importance of chemistry, the importance of collaborating with the coaching staff and the front office, and being a team player. Being coachable. All those types of things you don’t see from afar unless you’re around him everyday. I just couldn’t be more impressed for what he’s done for our team this year.”

LeBron turns 36 in December. He will entering his 18th NBA season. There’s no telling how many more years he has left. Even LeBron is noncommittal on how long he wants to play. He hasn’t put a cap on it. “I know I got a lot of years left. I know I can continue to play at a high level,” said James, who has hinted on many occasions that family comes first. He has three kids, including one (Bronny) who plays for high school basketball powerhouse Sierra Canyon.

Whatever the case may be, if LeBron decides to hang up the sneakers to become a full-time dad and businessman, his basketball legacy is secure.  And for those people who still doubt his greatness, LeBron’s message: Bring it on.

“I think personally thinking that I have something to prove fuels me. And it fueled me over these last year and half since my injury,” James said. “It fueled me because no matter what I’ve done in my career at this point there’s still rumblings of doubt. Comparing me to the history of the game. Has he done this? Has he done that? Having that in my head, having that in my mind, I say to myself ‘Why not still something to prove.’ I think it fuels me.”

After making that impassioned remark, LeBron put a cigar in his mouth and took a few puffs. He took a moment to let his detractors and doubters know — if they don’t know already — what he just did. He smoked them all.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.