Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Childhood and Family

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the oldest of two children of Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander. Charmaine was a track athlete who represented Antigua and Barbuda at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona. She later worked in banking. Vaughn is credited with being one of Shai’s first basketball coaches and contributing to his son’s passion for the sport. Vaughn played basketball and won a Toronto City High School Championship with Georges Vanier Secondary School in the early 1990s. He later became a contractor.

Shai’s younger brother, Thomasi, also has a basketball background. He played for the University of Evansville and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Shai’s cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

High School Basketball

Originally from Toronto, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved to Hamilton, Ontario, at the age of 10 with his mother after his parents separated. He attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School, but he was cut from the school’s basketball team in Grade 9. At the time, Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to leave Hamilton and move back to Toronto with his father. However, Shai’s mother encouraged him to stay in Hamilton and play on a lower-level midget squad at Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School. Shai guided his team to a city championship and was named the most valuable player.

Gilgeous-Alexander then transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for his junior and senior years. He graduated in 2017.

University of Kentucky

After graduating from high school, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attended the University of Kentucky. He was initially ranked seventh among seven players signed by Wildcats head coach John Calipari. Over time, Calipari appreciated Gilgeous-Alexander’s work ethic and team-focused mentality. On 30 January 2018, Gilgeous-Alexander had a season-high 30 points in an 83–81 overtime win against Vanderbilt. In 37 games at the NCAA level, he averaged 14.4 points per game.

First Round Draft Pick

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected in the first round, 11th overall, by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA Draft. He never played for the Hornets, however. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night.

Season with the Los Angeles Clippers

Gilgeous-Alexander spent only one season with the Clippers, 2018–19. He averaged 10.8 points per game, earned All-Rookie Second Team honours and was sixth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting. But his time in Los Angeles was short-lived. On 10 July 2019, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder with Danilo Gallinari and seven draft picks for all-star Paul George. The trade happened one day after the Clippers signed former Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2019–present)

In his first season with the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 19 points per game. In 2019–20, he was in the conversation for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. In 2020–21, he averaged 23.7 points per game. He was even better in 2021–22 with 24.5 points per game.

However, in 2022–23 and 2023–24, Gilgeous-Alexander elevated his game to a whole new level. In both seasons, he was selected to the All-NBA First Team and averaged a total of 30.7 points per game in 143 regular season games.

In 2022–23, Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 669 free throws made for a free throw percentage of.905. He was also the runner-up to Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz for the Most Improved Player Award. In 2023–24, Gilgeous-Alexander had career highs in field goal percentage (.535), assists per game (6.2) and steals per game (two). He was the runner-up to Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award. He also led Oklahoma City to the best regular season record (57–25) in the Western Conference.

Team Canada

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won a silver medal for Canada at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Chile. When he helped Canada win the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup — its first ever medal at a World Cup tournament — Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the World Cup All-Star Five. His 196 points were the second-most in the tournament. Canada qualified for the men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. It was the first time Canada had qualified for the Olympic Games in men’s basketball since the 2000 Olympic Summer Games in Sydney.