Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is easily one of the best players in the 2024-25 NBA season. A big reason for that is his confidence on the court. He also trusts in himself off of it. In an intriguing move, the former Kentucky Wildcats star has reportedly cut ties with his agent, Joe Smith of Wasserman, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has parted ways with his representation and he will act as his own agent to represent himself for all on-court matters,” Haynes said.
“As it pertains to marketing and all off-the-court ventures, I am told Simon G of I love management will still be on task for that,” Haynes added.
However, Haynes also noted that when it comes to marketing and ventures off the court, there will still be someone handling those duties for Gilgeous-Alexander, who is in the middle of yet another MVP-caliber season with the Thunder.
The 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander has finished inside the top five of the NBA’s MVP voting in the previous two seasons, including in the 2023-24 campaign where he finished runner-up to the eventual winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s decision isn’t unprecedented, as Haynes also pointed out that Philadelphia 76ers star big man and former NBA MVP Joel Embiid has represented himself before.
The timing of Gilgeous-Alexander’s parting ways with his agent also came when the three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA First Team, is eligible for a supermax extension that could potentially hit at least $72 million per year, according to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN back in January.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was taken in the first round (11th overall) of the 2018 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets before getting traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, signed a five-year, $179.3 million rookie maximum contract extension with the Thunder in 2021. He is earning $35.85 million in the 2024-25 NBA season and is set to pocket $38.33 million in 2025-26 and $40.80 million in the final year of his current contract in 2026-27.
So far this season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.5 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while making 52.3 percent of his attempts from the field and 35.9 percent of his shots from deep.
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