NBA legend Magic Johnson has issued an apology to the Oklahoma City Thunder after they clinched their place in the NBA Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inspired the Thunder to a 124-94 victory with 34 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
This victory secured the series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Thunder will now face either the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the Finals.
However, the Thunder – despite winning 68 games in the regular season – had many doubters going into the NBA playoffs.
One such doubter was Los Angeles Lakers legend Johnson.
Magic Johnson apologizes for doubting OKC Thunder
Magic Johnson was quick to offer an apology to the Oklahoma City Thunder after they reached the NBA finals.
He took to X to congratulate them on their achievement while making an admission that he felt they weren’t ready to compete for the championship.
Johnson tweeted: “I want to apologize to the Oklahoma City Thunder for underestimating them and not thinking they were ready to compete for a Championship.”
The five-time NBA champion and three-time MVP is unlikely to doubt the Thunder’s chances going into the finals.
Regardless of who the Thunder play in the finals, they will go into the contest as heavy favorites.
The Thunder’s NBA playoff run has been impressive as they swept the Memphis Grizzlies, narrowly defeated Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in seven games, and comfortably overcame Minnesota in five.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been in inspired form, while Chet Holmgren impressed with 22 points and seven rebounds in the Game 5 victory against the Timberwolves.
OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpasses Michael Jordan MVP record
In Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched Michael Jordan’s first MVP season.
His 40 points gave him his 59th 30-point plus game of the season. This matched Jordan’s tally from the 1987-88 season when he achieved the same feat with the Chicago Bulls – also as the MVP of the season.
After scoring 34 points on Wednesday night in Game 5, Gilgeous-Alexander has now surpassed Jordan’s MVP notching up his 60th 30+ point game – including regular season and playoff games.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander still has some way to go to catch Jordan across all seasons – not just MVP-winning years.
Jordan scored 30+ points in 67 games during the 1986-87 season. The Chicago Bulls legend was beaten to the NBA MVP award by Magic Johnson that season.
Johnson will now watch on to see if the OKC Thunder can defy his pre-playoff predictions and win the championship for the first time.
