"MVP move": Arkansas HC John Calipari spills the beans on $40,000,000 worth NBA superstar's pre-game routine

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari was in attendance for the Oklahoma Thunder versus Denver Nuggets game. He witnessed former Kentucky Wildcats guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drop 40 points against the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets.

After the game, Calipari discussed the $40,000,000-worth NBA superstar's pre-game routine on X.

The Hall of Fame coach posted:

"The thing that impressed me the most about Shai yesterday wasn’t scoring 40 or leading his team to a win. It happened after his pregame warm-up. He hugged us and we laughed, then he proceeded to walk to the 1000s of fans along the baseline and sideline leading to their tunnel.

"It wasn’t a fly-by, he spent time, and then I was told he does it EVERY home game and that’s why they lineup. MVP move."

These days, Calipari is the coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hall of Famer is aiming to rebuild the program and make it a perennial college playoffs contender, just like the other teams he coached.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the NBA and a front-runner for the ongoing season's Most Valuable Player Award.

How did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander perform with John Calipari at Kentucky?

The Kentucky Wildcats were one of the many schools that recruited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ultimately, John Calipari was able to convince Gilgeous-Alexander to choose the Wildcats.

John Calipari noticed Gilgeous-Alexander's talent rather early, but decided to gradually break him into the starting five. He sat behind fellow freshman Quade Green at the start of the 2017–18 season. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still averaged more than 30 minutes per contest.

Eventually, Gilgeous-Alexander's performances were too good to pass up. He was elevated from priority sixth man to starting point guard midway through the 2017–18 season and the rest of history.

The future NBA superstar ended the season averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 4.1 rebounds per game. He earned second-team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman Team, and SEC tournament MVP honors for his efforts.