Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played one year of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers that same night.
31 Facts About Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in Hamilton, Ontario.
3.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, is a former track star who competed for Antigua and Barbuda at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
4.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began high school in Hamilton at St Thomas More Catholic Secondary School before switching to Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy for his junior and senior years to improve his basketball skills, graduating in 2017.
6.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up winning team MVP and the midget boys' city championship.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then attended Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School before heading to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2015.
8.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the most valuable player of the Kentucky Derby Classic.
9.
When he first stepped on the University of Kentucky's campus, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had long hair.
10.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to lead the team for the following two games, scoring 21 points against Georgia and 18 against LSU.
11.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a consistent contributor to a "struggling" UK team that had a four-game losing streak during the season.
12.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became a starter along with four other freshmen: Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox, and P J Washington.
13.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a great SEC tournament and continued that momentum into the NCAA Tournament.
14.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's final college basketball moment was a missed three-point attempt at the buzzer.
15.
On June 21,2018, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft, before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers the same day, in exchange for the pick after him and two future second-round picks.
16.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went on to play for the team in the 2018 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 19 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
17.
On October 8,2019, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his preseason debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Dallas Mavericks.
18.
On March 28,2022, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
19.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the season averaging career highs of 24.5 points and 5.9 assists per game.
20.
On October 31,2022, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 2, his second career NBA Player of the Week award.
21.
On February 2,2023, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named to his first-ever NBA All-Star Game as a reserve guard for the Western Conference.
22.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended the season with a career-high 31.4 points per game average, joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only players in Thunder history to average at least 30 points per game in a season.
23.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the second guard in NBA history behind Michael Jordan to average at least 30 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one blocked shot while shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
24.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander subsequently became the youngest guard in NBA history to average 30 points on 50 percent from the field beating Michael Jordan's record.
25.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named to his first All-NBA First Team.
26.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played for Canada's Junior National Team that competed in the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in Valdivia, Chile, averaging 7.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds in a contest en route to winning silver.
27.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played for Canada's National Team at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.
28.
On May 24,2022, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.
29.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's younger brother, Thomasi, was a college basketball player for the Evansville Purple Aces.
30.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's younger cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is an NBA player for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
31.
In July 2020, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed an endorsement deal with Converse.