It’s hard to imagine Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not being included in a top-five list in the present NBA landscape, especially given his dominant 2024–25 season. The Thunder guard was named league MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, First-Team All-NBA, and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals. He averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game—stellar numbers, indeed.

But Derrick Rose, known to many as D-Rose, made waves at a recent camp when he shared his top five current NBA players, and missed out on adding Gilgeous-Alexander on that list. Rose was in attendance at the 2025 Adidas Eurocamp, where he touched on a wide range of basketball topics.

Derrick Rose Leaves SGA Off His Top 5

In an exclusive Q&A session with HoopsHype, Rose was asked to name his top five players in the league today. While his response was sincere, it may have rubbed 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the wrong way.

“And if I could pick a five right now—Steph [Curry]. Two-guard would have to be Ant [Edwards]. Kevin Durant [at the three], Bron [James] at the four, because he plays like a four now. And Joker [Nikola Jokić],” Rose said. “And that’s no knock to all my peers who still play. That’s just a quick five that was on the top of my head.”

After listing his picks, Rose quickly realized he had left off the 2025 scoring champion and league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“I hope so. It’s a lot of people that I missed, though, but it is what it is… Damn, my bad Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. Damn, I ain’t even throw Shai in there, bro. Shai, my bad Shai.”

That said, picking a five-man group in today’s star-stacked NBA almost always means leaving out a superstar. It’s also clear Rose leaned into players from his own era—LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry—leaving just two remaining spots for rising stars.

While Anthony Edwards is a deserving pick, one could argue that Gilgeous-Alexander had the more impactful season, especially after OKC eliminated Edwards’ Timberwolves in just five games in the Western Conference Finals.

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Nikola Jokić’s inclusion is nearly indisputable. The Denver Nuggets’ big man became the first center in NBA history to average a triple-double over a full season and continues to be widely regarded as the league’s best all-around player. Still, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder knocked Jokić and the Nuggets out of the playoffs in a dramatic seven-game series.

If Shai continues on his current trajectory, he may not only add more trophies to his case—but also make his omission from lists like Rose’s seem even more unthinkable in hindsight.