The dust has barely settled on the Western Conference Finals, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder straight-up ended Anthony Edwards’ and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season with a decisive 4-1 series victory. The Thunder are now heading to the NBA Finals – a monumental achievement for SGA and his squad, for real. But just when you thought the on-court battles were over, the brand wars have officially kicked into high gear.

And Converse, with SGA as one of its leading faces, just dropped an ad that’s not just a marketing move – it’s a direct, savage troll aimed right at Anthony Edwards, rubbing a whole lot of salt in that fresh playoff wound. Talk about no chill.

So, what’s the ad that’s got everyone talking? Picture this: Converse puts out this new spot, and it’s deceptively simple. You see an ant, just walking along. And then these words flash across the screen: “nothing left 2 say. unbelievable.“ If that’s not a direct shot at Anthony “Ant-Man” Edwards and his own Adidas campaign, which has been all about his explosive talent and sometimes brash confidence, then I don’t know what is.

The timing is just brutal – dropping this right after SGA and the Thunder sent Ant and the Wolves packing? That’s cold-blooded, and honestly, a little bit iconic in its savagery. This isn’t just some random ad, it’s a clear continuation of the simmering rivalry and the constant comparisons between these two young superstars, a rivalry that directly feeds into that often controversial NBA debate about who is truly emerging as the next face of the league.

All season long, and especially in these playoffs, that debate has been raging: Who’s better? Who’s got next? Both SGA and Ant had those insane highlight moments. They’re both electrifying, both leading young, exciting teams, and their on-court matchups were must-see TV.

And let’s be honest, Converse and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have every reason to feel like they can drop the mic right now. SGA isn’t just having a good playoff run, he’s having an absolutely legendary season. This is the dude who just snagged his first NBA MVP award after leading the Thunder to a ridiculous 68-14 regular-season record.

Then you get to the playoffs. OKC swept the Memphis Grizzlies. They went through a seven-game war with the defending champion Denver Nuggets and came out on top. And then they just dismantled the Timberwolves in five games to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. SGA’s numbers in the postseason? Just as insane: around 31 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards a game. Oh, and he was just named the Western Conference Finals MVP for his troubles. So yeah, when your guy is putting up those kinds of numbers, winning those kinds of awards, and leading his team to the brink of a championship – their first since the franchise moved from Seattle and only their second ever – you can afford to be a little cheeky with your advertising.

OKC is now just four wins away from a title, and it’s tough to see either the Pacers or the Knicks slowing them down if they keep playing like this. The brand battle is just a fun sideshow to SGA making a serious case for being a promising guy in the league right now.

Keeping up with the Alexanders – The family playoff special

Behind the MVP awards, the dominant playoff run, and the brand swagger, there’s another layer to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Western Conference Finals triumph that makes it even more special: it was a total family affair.

Let’s rewind to Game 4. That nail-biting 128-126 Thunder win in Minneapolis that put OKC up 3-1 was actually a prime-time showdown between SGA and his own cousin, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. And man, did they both show out! SGA was his usual MVP self, dropping a monster 40 points, just a rebound shy of a triple-double. But Nickeil? He went off too, leading the Timberwolves with a playoff career-high 23 points off the bench, doing everything he could to try and even the series. It was like watching a childhood dream play out on the grandest stage, for real. You just know those two have been hooping against each other since they were tiny.

You can only imagine what that was like for their family. SGA’s dad, Vaughn Alexander, who also helped raise Nickeil, was there, sitting courtside with Nickeil’s mom (Shai’s aunt), Nicole. And get this: he was rocking a diamond-framed sports card holder around his neck, one side showing an SGA card, the other a Nickeil card. How iconic is that?!

It perfectly captured the beautiful, if slightly conflicting, emotions of the night. “I’m just so proud of both of them,” Vaughn told The Oklahoman. “It feels like you’ve got to wake up and pinch yourself to make sure the dream’s not gonna be over. But when you put so much hard work in, you know it’s not a dream.” He admitted he was cheering for both of them, just wanting them to play well, regardless of who won. That’s pure family love right there, the kind that hits different.

SGA himself acknowledged how wild it was. “He got the better of me sometimes, I got the better of him,” Shai said about dueling with Nickeil. “Stuff we’ve dreamt about for our whole lives and it’s crazy that it’s come to fruition.” He knows his cousin is a “really good basketball player” with “great feel, great skill,” and said it’s “only a matter of time before he blows (up).” After the game, SGA made sure to embrace his dad and aunt near the Wolves’ bench. These are the moments, the stories, that go beyond just wins and losses. It’s the real tea of the playoffs.

So, while Converse is out here making bold statements and rubbing salt in rivals’ wounds (all in good fun, mostly!), it’s cool to remember that for players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, these playoff runs are about more than just trophies and bragging rights. They’re about fulfilling lifelong dreams, sharing incredible moments with family, and creating memories that, as SGA put it, they’ll “definitely have plenty of stories about” when it’s all said and done.

(This is a developing story…)