'For sure surreal'

Gilgeous-Alexander has accepted the growing attention brought by his exceptional play.

"I try to make sure I don't let it affect the person I am, the player I am and the teammate I am," he said.

"Doing so has helped me succeed on the court, and us succeed as a team, as well. Yeah, I definitely notice it, embrace it, and try to make sure it doesn't get in the way of things."

Gilgeous-Alexander says he knows he will not be mentioned alongside such contemporary greats as James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry unless he leads an NBA championship team.

"You play the game to win, and that's, at the end of the day, all that really matters," he said. "If I don't succeed in that in my career, I will have never accomplished what I wanted to."

He accepts that he might have a chance to become the face of the NBA like James and Michael Jordan.

"That's literally for the world to decide, and whoever the world gravitates to is going to become it naturally," he said.

"It's not really like a title, it's more of an opinion, but it is something that is, for sure, surreal.

"If you're in that conversation, you will probably go down in history, and to be in that conversation is a blessing."

AFP