OKC brought the thunder, alright—exactly the kind of chaos and flair the NBA lives for. Yeah, the Pacers pulling off a win would’ve been a storybook twist—everybody roots for the scrappy underdog. Everybody but the Thunder, that is. And they’ve got their own tale of grit turned greatness, starring none other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The man just bagged the wildest extension in league history. Rumor has it he even turned down a bigger offer to keep the Thunder rolling.

But not everyone’s buying it. Because let’s be real—nobody actually thinks OKC’s pulling off the double, right? Richard Jefferson sure doesn’t.

“Shai left $100 million on the table. He could have said no. And even if he didn’t have an MVP year, he would have gotten a super max and made a hundred million more,” said Channing Frye on Road Trippin’. Yep – SGA turned down on a huge $100 million to give OKC more cap space. A true leader on the hardwood, if there’s ever been one. And it helps with the stars they have on board. “Let’s say Chet all of a sudden is an All-Star next year. And all of a sudden, his things start kicking in. Now his bill’s gonna be even more. It would have been even crazier next year,” continued Frye.

But that ain’t enough for Richard Jefferson. The 2016 ringholder’s not buying the OKC hype one bit. In fact, he’s already written them off from going back-to-back and is busy handing the crown to someone else. “OK, hey, this one I’m saying, here’s my hot take. Thank you. For the ninth year in a row, the NBA will have a new champion,” said Jefferson on the pod. Bold words from a man who knows what it takes. But with the way the Thunder’s been moving, you can bet they’re pinning this one on the locker room wall as bulletin board fuel.

It’s been seven long years of fresh faces lifting the Larry O’Brien — tied for the second-longest streak of new champs. One more OKC fumble, and we’re in record-breaking territory, sitting alone in second place. The last time something like this happened? You’d have to rewind all the way to the 1970s, when the league went 11 straight years without a repeat winner. A wild, unpredictable era — and if the Thunder slip, history might just be repeating itself.

Money talks in this day and age. Lewis Hamilton thinks Cash is King, wouldn’t you believe it too? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might’ve signed a historic $285 million super maximum contract extension with OKC. But that was Jefferson’s cue to clock back to the old days. The NBA’s own Attitude Era. Back in those days, money didn’t matter as much. If it did, Jeff wouldn’t have made more than Michael Jordan.

Richard Jefferson comparing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Michael Jordan might make sense

MJ’s long past the glory days — the man’s living in billionaire territory now, sitting pretty on a $3.5 billion net worth thanks to savvy post-retirement moves. But here’s the kicker: Richard Jefferson’s earned more playing in the NBA than Jordan ever did. That’s the lesson — money ain’t everything. Shai’s extension might be historic on paper, but it’ll never match the legacy MJ built on the hardwood. Rings, influence, culture — Jordan’s history hits different.

“I’ve made more career earnings than Michael Jordan. I made more in career earnings than Michael Jordan. I deserved every dollar. My point is, this is the way it trends, same way Michael Jordan was looking back at me like, wait, this idiot got how much? We can’t look forward at NBA players like, oh, this money, this money. Well, that was the work that we put in,” said Jefferson on the pod. “That was the work that players have put in to make it better for the future athletes. Now you have guys making $75, $80 million a year.”

This isn’t to say that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the Thunder would never reach that sorta caliber – they got what it takes. It’s just to dampen those calls comparing SGA to the greats after one historic season. It’ll take a lot more to reach that level – and a back-to-back will be the best way to start that legacy off.