It’s lifted him above his bigger-market, better-marketed peers in All-Star voting, with fans gravitating toward his trench coats and slick handle alone.  And on Wednesday night, it served as an elbow from the top rope,

The precise moment when the Kia Race to the MVP got real was last Sunday when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander swatted away a layup attempt by Jayson Tatum, another Kia MVP contender, in the tense fourth-quarter moments of Oklahoma City vs. Boston.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 26 years old, in the MVP conversation (again) and playing for a tight-knit team that has a chance to win a championship. His two most talented teammates, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams,