Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( ; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He also played one year of college basketball for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

. SGA was an

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

in 2023 and finished fourth in the league in scoring with 31.4 points per game while leading Oklahoma City to a play-in berth. Gilgeous-Alexander was selected in the first round of the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inte ...

by the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

with the 11th overall pick and was traded to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

that same night for 12th overall pick,

Miles Bridges Miles Emmanuel Bridges Sr. (born March 21, 1998) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. ...

. He led the Clippers to the playoffs and was named to the

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

in his rookie season before being traded to the Thunder in July 2019. In 2020, SGA was the leading scorer on an Oklahoma City team that exceeded expectations and made the playoffs as a 5th seed and went 7 games in the first round of the playoffs.

Early life

Gilgeous-Alexander was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, and grew up in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. His mother,

Charmaine Gilgeous Charmaine Ann Marie Gilgeous (born 17 December 1971) is an Antigua and Barbuda sprinter. She competed in the women's 400 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics. She is the mother of basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shaivonte Aician G ...

, is a former track star who competed for

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two maj ...

at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. His father, Vaughn Alexander, coached him as a youth. He began high school in Hamilton at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School before switching to Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School. He then transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (located in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

) for his junior and senior years to improve his basketball skills, graduating in 2017.

High school career

Growing up in Hamilton, he did not make the St. Thomas More junior team in grade 9 and subsequently played on the school's midget squad. He ended up winning team MVP and the midget boys' city championship. He then attended Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School before heading to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in

in 2015. "I just thought I needed to play better competition ...," he said. As a senior, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists. In early 2016, he participated in the

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

Camp. A four-star recruit (by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

), Gilgeous-Alexander originally committed to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, but re-opened his recruitment in October 2016. His final five schools were Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, Texas and UNLV. The following month, he announced his decision to play college basketball at

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. He was named the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of the Kentucky Derby Classic. At the 2017

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of internationa ...

, he represented the World Select Team and scored eleven points in 21 minutes of action.

College career

Gilgeous-Alexander started the 2017–18 season as a reserve, sitting behind freshman point guard

Quade Green Quade Green (born May 12, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Centauros de Portuguesa of the Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto (SPB). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and the Kentucky Wildcats. Hi ...

, but still averaged over 30 minutes per game. After a tough loss to UCLA, Alexander erupted against Louisville in December, scoring 24 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and securing 3 steals. 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" UK team that had a four-game losing streak during the season. He became a starter along with four other freshmen:

Hamidou Diallo Hamidou Diallo (born July 31, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus 5-star prospect, a ...

, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox, and

P. J. Washington Paul Jamaine Washington Jr. (born August 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, Ken ...

. 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 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. On April 9, 2018, he declared for the

2018 NBA Draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inte ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019)

2018–2019: Rookie season

On June 21, 2018, Gilgeous-Alexander was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the

in the

, before being traded to the

the same day, in exchange for the pick after him (which ended up being

) and two future second round picks. He went on to play for the team in the

2018 NBA Summer League The 2018 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Sacramento Kings's California Classic Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. The Sacra ...

, where he averaged 19 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals per game. On December 17, 2018, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a season-best of 24 points in a 127–131 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On January 18, 2019, Gilgeous-Alexander tied his season-best of 24 points in a 112–94 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. Eleven days later, he was named a member of the World Team representing Canada for the 2019

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- and ...

. On April 21, 2019, he scored a new career-high of 25 points in a 105–113 loss to the

in Game 4 of the 2019 playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2019–present)

2019–2020: Improving as a sophomore

On July 10, 2019, the Clippers traded Gilgeous-Alexander,

Danilo Gallinari Danilo Gallinari (; born 8 August 1988) is an Italian professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After spending his first four years as a professional in his native Italy, Gallinari was dra ...

, five first-round draft picks, and the rights to swap two other first round picks to the

for

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a seven-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of th ...

. On October 8, 2019, Gilgeous-Alexander made his preseason debut with the

against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

. He recorded 24 points and four rebounds in a 119–104 win over the Mavericks. On December 22, 2019, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a then career-high 32 points with five assists, three rebounds, and two steals in a 118–112 win over the

. On January 13, 2020, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded his first NBA triple double with 20 points, 10 assists and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 117–104 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, becoming 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.

2020–2022: Breakthrough and injuries

On December 26, 2020, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 24 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, and a game-winning jump shot in a 109–107 win against the

. On February 24, 2021, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a then career-high 42 points to give the

a 102–99 win over the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. On March 24, 2021, after playing 35 games, his season ended due to a tear in his

plantar fascia The plantar fascia is the thick connective tissue (aponeurosis) which supports the arch on the bottom (plantar side) of the foot. It runs from the tuberosity of the calcaneus (heel bone) forward to the heads of the metatarsal bones (the bone betw ...

. On August 3, 2021, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder agreed to a five-year, $172 million rookie extension that will become a five-year, $207 million rookie maximum extension if Gilgeous-Alexander is included on an

All-NBA Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

. On December 18, 2021, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points and made a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Thunder over his former team, the

, 104–103. Four days later, he recorded his second career triple double, with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, in a 108–94 victory over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On December 27, Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 10 (December 20–26), his first NBA Player of the Week award. He led Oklahoma to a 3–1 week with averages of 27.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists. On March 28, 2022, Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. He finished the season averaging career highs of 24.5 points and 5.9 assists per game.

2022–present: First All-Star selection

On October 31, 2022, Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 2 (October 24–30), his second career NBA Player of the Week award. He led Oklahoma to an undefeated 3–0 week with averages of 31.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. On November 16, Gilgeous-Alexander tied a then career-high with 42 points, alongside a game-winning three-pointer, six rebounds and seven assists, in a 121–120 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

. On December 19, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 35 points alongside a buzzer-beating game-winner in a 123–121 win over the

. On December 23, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a career-high 44 points, with 10 rebounds and 6 assists, in a 128–125 overtime loss against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. On February 2, 2023, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to his first-ever

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...

as a reserve guard for the Western Conference. On February 4, he recorded 42 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in a 153–121 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. On February 10, Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career-high with 44 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the field and 18-of-19 shooting from the free throw line in a 138–129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He became the first player in Thunder history to score 40-plus points on 80% shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander ended the season with a career-high 31.4 points per game average, joining

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

and

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...

as the only players in Thunder history to average at least 30 points per game in a season. On May 2, Gilgeous-Alexander finished fifth in voting for the NBA Most Valuable Player.

National team career

Gilgeous-Alexander played for Canada’s Junior National Team that competed in the

2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship The 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship for Men was an international basketball competition that was held in Valdivia, Chile from July 19–23, 2016. It was the tenth edition of the championship, and was the FIBA Americas qualifying tournamen ...

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, averaging 7.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds in a contest en route to winning silver. He also played for Canada's National Team at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila. On May 24, 2022, Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 73 , , 26.5 , , .476 , , .367 , , .800 , , 2.8 , , 3.3 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, 70 , , 70 , , 34.7 , , .471 , , .347 , , .807 , , 5.9 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 33.7 , , .500 , , .418 , , .808 , , 4.7 , , 5.9 , , .8 , , .7 , , 23.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 56 , , 34.7 , , .453 , , .300 , , .810 , , 5.0 , , 5.9 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , 24.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 68 , , 35.5 , , .510 , , .345 , , .905 , , 4.8 , , 5.5 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 31.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 311 , , 302 , , 32.6 , , .484 , , .347 , , .845 , , 4.6 , , 4.5 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 21.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .800 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 7.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 9.0

Play-in

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 2 , , 38.7 , , .390 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 6.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , 27.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 2 , , 2 , , 38.7 , , .390 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 6.0 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , 27.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 6 , , 6 , , 28.8 , , .467 , , .500 , , .850 , , 2.7 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 39.9 , , .433 , , .400 , , .957 , , 5.3 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 16.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 13 , , 13 , , 34.8 , , .447 , , .434 , , .907 , , 4.1 , , 3.7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 15.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 24 , , 33.7 , , .485 , , .404 , , .817 , , 4.1 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , .5, , 14.4

Personal life

Gilgeous-Alexander's younger brother, Thomasi, was a

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

player for the

Evansville Purple Aces The Evansville Purple Aces are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of the University of Evansville, located in Evansville, Indiana. The Aces athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes at the NCAA's Divis ...

. and

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) is a public community college in Miami, Oklahoma. Established as the Miami School of Mines in 1919, NEO has an enrollment of approximately two thousand students. The Golden Norsemen is the school mascot. ...

. His younger cousin,

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Nickeil Alexander-Walker (born September 2, 1998) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. A shooting gua ...

, is an NBA player for the

. The two have a close relationship and shared a room at high school coach Zach Ferrell's house. In July 2020, Gilgeous-Alexander signed an endorsement deal with

Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
at nbadraft.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilgeous-Alexander, Shai 1998 births Living people Basketball players from Toronto Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canadian people of Antigua and Barbuda descent Charlotte Hornets draft picks Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players National Basketball Association players from Canada National Basketball Association All-Stars Oklahoma City Thunder players Point guards