Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( SHAY GHIL-jəs; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a four-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA First Team member, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024–25 NBA season. During that season, Gilgeous-Alexander also led the Thunder to their first NBA championship since relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City, becoming the 11th Canadian to win an NBA title.

Gilgeous-Alexander played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night. In his rookie season with the Clippers, Gilgeous-Alexander made an appearance in the 2019 NBA playoffs and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Following his rookie season, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2019.

In his first season with the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander was their leading scorer and led the team to the 2020 NBA playoffs as the fifth seed. After dealing with injuries over the next two seasons, he was named to his first NBA All-Star Game and was voted to the All-NBA First Team in 2023, finishing fourth in the league in scoring with 31.4 points per game. In the 2024–25 NBA season, Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after leading the league in scoring with an average of 32.7 points per game. He later won the NBA Finals MVP award as the Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to win the MVP award, Finals MVP award, and scoring title all in the same season. Additionally, Gilgeous-Alexander became the second Canadian to win the MVP award, following Steve Nash, who first claimed it in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006, and the first Canadian ever to win the Finals MVP award.

With the Canada men's national basketball team, Gilgeous-Alexander won the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and was named to the All-Tournament Team. In 2023, he received the Northern Star Award as Canada's Athlete of the Year, becoming only the second basketball player to earn the award since Steve Nash first won it in 2005.

Early life

Gilgeous-Alexander was born on July 12, 1998, in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in nearby Hamilton. His mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, is a former professional track athlete who competed in the women's 400 metres for Antigua and Barbuda at the 1992 Summer Olympics. His father, Vaughn Alexander, also of Antiguan descent, played high school basketball and won a Toronto city championship while attending Georges Vanier Secondary School in the early 1990s. Gilgeous-Alexander's father coached him during his youth. He began high school in Hamilton at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School before transferring to nearby Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School. He later moved to the United States and attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for his junior and senior years to improve his basketball skills, graduating in 2017.

High school career

Gilgeous-Alexander initially attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario. In ninth grade, he did not make the school's junior team and subsequently played on the midget squad, where he was named team MVP and led St. Thomas More to the midget boys' city championship. Gilgeous-Alexander then transferred to nearby Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School before relocating to the United States in 2015 to attend Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. "I just thought I needed to play better competition," he said. In his senior season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

In early 2016, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders development camp.

A four-star recruit according to ESPN, Gilgeous-Alexander verbally committed to play college basketball for the Florida Gators in November 2015 before decommitting in October 2016. His final five schools were Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Texas, and UNLV. The following month, Gilgeous-Alexander announced his decision to play for the Kentucky Wildcats after signing his national letter of intent on November 14, 2016. He participated in the 2017 Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). At the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit, Gilgeous-Alexander represented the World Select Team and scored 11 points in 21 minutes of play.

College career

Gilgeous-Alexander started the 2017–18 season with the Kentucky Wildcats as a reserve, sitting behind freshman point guard Quade Green, but still averaged over 30 minutes per game. After a loss to UCLA, Alexander recorded 24 points, five rebounds, and four assists against Louisville on December 29, 2017. When he first stepped on the University of Kentucky's campus, Gilgeous-Alexander had long hair. However, he cut his hair early in the season and some say this started his progression from sixth man to starting point guard. He continued to lead the team for the following two games, scoring 21 points against Georgia and 18 against LSU. He was a consistent contributor to a "struggling" Kentucky team that had a four-game losing streak during the season. He became a starter along with four other freshmen: Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox II, and P. J. Washington. Despite their losses, his PPG shot up to 12.9 along with 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander had a great SEC tournament, earning Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours, and continued that momentum into the NCAA tournament. After playing great basketball in the first two rounds against Davidson and Buffalo, Kentucky lost to Kansas State in the Sweet 16. Gilgeous-Alexander's final college basketball moment was a missed three-point attempt at the buzzer. He concluded his freshman season and, consequently, his college career, having played 37 games with 24 starts, averaging 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. After the 2017–18 season, Gilgeous-Alexander declared for the 2018 NBA draft on April 9, 2018.

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019)

Gilgeous-Alexander was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft on June 21, 2018. On draft night, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the 12th overall pick, Miles Bridges, and two future second-round picks.

Gilgeous-Alexander participated in the 2018 NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers in the Las Vegas Summer League. Starting all four of his games, he averaged 19.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field. With this performance, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first player in Las Vegas Summer League history to average at least 19.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals over a minimum of three appearances.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-best 24 points in a 131–127 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on December 17, 2018. He later matched this scoring mark on January 18, 2019, scoring 24 points in a 112–94 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Eleven days later, on January 29, he was selected for the World Team representing Canada in the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge. Gilgeous-Alexander finished his rookie season with an appearance in the 2019 NBA playoffs, where the Clippers were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in six games during the Western Conference First Round. In Game 4 of the series on April 21, he recorded a then-career-high 25 points in a 113–105 loss to the Warriors.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2019–present)

2019–20: Improving as a sophomore

The Los Angeles Clippers traded Gilgeous-Alexander along with Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and the rights to swap two other first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for NBA All-Star Paul George on July 10, 2019. On October 8, Gilgeous-Alexander made his preseason debut with the Thunder against the Dallas Mavericks, recording 24 points and four rebounds in a 119–104 win. On December 22, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a then-career-high 32 points with five assists, three rebounds, and two steals in a 118–112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On January 13, 2020, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his first career triple-double with 20 points, 10 assists, and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 117–104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. With this performance, he became the second player after Russell Westbrook to record a 20–20–10 statline in the last 30 years and the youngest ever to achieve it.