Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses Lakers, LeBron James ahead of NBA playoffs

After completing another mundane Round 1 sweep that served as background noise, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been pushed to the front of the line. They will face the Los Angeles Lakers in their Round 2 series of the 2026 NBA playoffs.

Even if the matchup is a little lopsided on the court, expect it to draw the most eyeballs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on his way to back-to-back MVP awards. Meanwhile, LeBron James is a billion-dollar machine in himself. The Luka Doncic and Jalen Williams storylines will also be worth watching.

Before the Thunder host the Lakers for Game 1, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talked about their playoff matchup and how he views their Round 2 opponent. He also talked about facing James in a playoff history and the daunting history that comes with that.

Here's what Gilgeous-Alexander had to say about the Lakers and James:

On the Lakers

"Playing to our identity. They’re playing pretty well right now, regardless of who’s out there. They're well-coached. LeBron has been in this situation at this level of games more than anybody else in the NBA. We don't take them lightly. To make it this far in the season, they can compete with anybody on any given night. We know going into this matchup, we've got to take them seriously. Put our best foot forward. That's what we've been focusing on all week. Just getting better. Making sure we're a better team this week than we were last week. I think we did so."

On facing LeBron James