With Starting 5 being a documentary millions of NBA followers worldwide will tune into, fans of the LA Clippers have more than one reason: James Harden, who stars in the second season, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He offers an inside look at his life on and off the court, and as expected, discusses the trade that sent him to Oklahoma City.
Furthermore, Gilgeous-Alexander enters reminiscent mode, which is already heartbreaking for Clippers fans just by the sound of it, as everyone in LA misses him. They were supposed to be the team that would see his evolution from Kentucky product to NBA superstar and champion play out, but the front office had other plans with Paul George, thinking he would bring a ring sooner.
When reminiscing, Gilgeous-Alexander mentions how he felt like he had done enough on his part to show LA’s front office that he was their future face of the franchise. However, the Clippers valued a duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and sent the former 11th overall pick to a different situation in the same conference.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his manager went from happy to shocked in a matter of seconds
Going back many, many years, the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to deal Paul George for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and much more, at an odd time in the evening. But reporters released the news one by one, and in the Starting 5, Gilgeous-Alexander’s manager, Simon Gebrelul, shared his immediate reaction.
Moreover, at the moment, Gilgeous-Alexander was on his feet, excited that he would get to be teammates with Kawhi Leonard, coming off a legendary championship run with the Toronto Raptors. Then, George’s trade was announced, and the rising star’s emotions elevated to ecstatic, as he thought the Clippers were trying to form the NBA’s next great trio in LA.
Unfortunately, seconds later, the final notification of the blockbuster news was released, and that is when Gilgeous-Alexander realized he was about to experience what it is like to be traded at such a young age.
As Gilgeous-Alexander and Gebrelul take a trip down memory lane, it becomes clear that a lot of emotions were involved. This hurts fans of the Clippers, breaking their hearts, as everyone in LA wishes he won the 2025 MVP in red, white, and blue.
"We're all on the phone together, and I get the drop down notification, and it said, 'Kawhi Leonard agrees to sign a multi-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers...' We were celebrating. Drop-down again. 'Paul George to the Clippers.' We're like, 'Paul George, Shai, and Kawhi?' I'm like 'Bro, this is... this is... you guys have the new big three...' We're celebrating. We're yelling on the phone. Then the next drop-down on my phone. 'Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.' In the beginning, it was kind of like a punch in the gut. "Simon Gebrelul
That said, he dominated his entire rookie season and performed well against the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. Clippers fans will be left disheartened by another reminder in the first half of episode two of Starting 5.