Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 4-0 sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs, marking a significant victory against LeBron James. The Thunder's 115-110 win in Game 4 solidified their dominance in the series.
May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and guard Ajay Mitchell (25) during the first half in game four of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Hoping to win back-to-back NBA championships, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added another piece of mythos to his NBA lore. He bested LeBron James in a playoff series. Not many people who've walked the Earth can flex that over one of the most decorated players in league history.
The Oklahoma City Thunder completed the Round 2 sweep with a 115-110 Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The reigning NBA champions were in firm control throughout the four-game series.
It was a pretty lopsided matchup from the jump. Nobody thought this would go beyond five games. Luka Doncic's injury deflated any interest. But none of the Lakers' shortcomings really fall on James. The 41-year-old did his best to put up a fight against the Thunder, but the talent gap was visibly too galaxy-sized.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander excelled by leading the Thunder to a 4-0 playoff series sweep over LeBron James and the Lakers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 in Game 4 of the playoff series.
Luka Doncic's injury diminished interest in the series and contributed to the Lakers' struggles, leading to their swift elimination.

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"It was fun. It's amazing what he's doing out there at his age. It's very impressive. It's hard to put into words. He's not very old in the grand scheme of life. But for the NBA, he's pretty old. He doesn't seem like it out there," Gilgeous-Alexander said about James. "He was a force. He was at the top of the scouting report all series. His size gave us issues at times. He was impressive out there. I'm not sure we'll see anything like it again — his longevity and his greatness. It was super fun. Glad I got to get four wins, for sure."
Cool to see Gilgeous-Alexander pay respect to James. At one point, the latter sat on the NBA throne — longer than anybody else, too. Now, it's OKC's turn to dominate the rest of the league and be at the forefront of every conversation.
On his way to joining all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry, Gilgeous-Alexander added to his Hall-of-Fame resume as he quickly has ascended through the ranks.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pays respect to LeBron James after Thunder sweep Lakers