Lu Dort: There was a small moment about five years ago, when I realized Shai was like no joke. This was in the 2019–2020 season, before the bubble. I was a rookie, and Shai had just been traded to OKC at the time, with Chris Paul and Dennis Schröder and those guys. It all goes back to this one night in Detroit. I remember Coach Donovan had called a timeout, and we were in the huddle. Shai was one of the youngest players on the team, but I think he was already our best scorer. And I don’t know who was calling the play, but basically, the ball wasn’t going to Shai. Shai’s a chill dude. He didn’t get mad or anything. He just kept it real. He was like, “Let me get a couple plays,” or something like that. A young player saying that at the time was like, Oh. He wasn’t out of pocket or anything, it was just bold. It would’ve been one thing if he had said it and gone out and got a few buckets. But it was Shai, so he went on like a 12–0 run by himself. I was like, That’s real. -via The Players’ Tribune / June 5, 2025
