Nickeil Alexander-Walker facts for kids
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Alexander-Walker with Canada in 2023
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| No. 9 – Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 2, 1998 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Virginia Tech (2017–2019) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17th overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Brooklyn Nets | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2019–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | New Orleans Pelicans | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | →Erie BayHawks | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Utah Jazz | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker (born September 2, 1998) is a Canadian professional basketball player. He plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a shooting guard. Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. He was picked 17th in the 2019 NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets, but was soon traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Nickeil Alexander-Walker grew up in Toronto, Canada. He played high school basketball at several schools. These included Vaughan Secondary School, St. Louis Christian Academy, and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy.
At Hamilton Heights, he played with his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They are very close and even shared a room at their coach's house. Experts thought Nickeil was one of the top 74 young players in the country in 2017.
College Career at Virginia Tech
In May 2016, Alexander-Walker decided to play college basketball for Virginia Tech. He chose them over other big schools like USC and Maryland.
Freshman Season Highlights
As a freshman, Nickeil scored about 10.7 points and grabbed 3.8 rebounds per game. In only his second college game, he scored a high of 29 points. This helped Virginia Tech win a game 132–93 against The Citadel. He helped his team get a 21–12 record and play in the NCAA Tournament. In their first tournament game, he scored 15 points.
Sophomore Season Success
In his second year, Alexander-Walker improved a lot. He averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He helped Virginia Tech have a great season with 24 wins and 8 losses. They even made it to the "Sweet 16" round of the NCAA Tournament.
Professional NBA Career
Starting with the New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2022)
On June 20, 2019, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was chosen by the Brooklyn Nets as the 17th pick in the 2019 NBA draft. However, he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans shortly after. The Pelicans officially signed him on July 7, 2019.
He played his first NBA game on October 22, 2019. He scored three points and had four rebounds in a close game against the Toronto Raptors. On November 16, 2019, he scored a career-high 27 points against the Miami Heat. Sometimes, the Pelicans sent him to play for their minor league team, the Erie BayHawks, to get more playing time. On January 13, 2021, he scored another career-high of 37 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Moving to the Utah Jazz (2022–2023)
On February 8, 2022, Nickeil was part of a big trade. He was sent from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Portland Trail Blazers. Just one day later, he was traded again! This time, he went to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team trade.
Joining the Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–present)
On February 9, 2023, Alexander-Walker was traded once more. He and another player, Mike Conley Jr., joined the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was also a three-team trade. He later signed a new contract to stay with the Timberwolves on July 10, 2023.
Playing for Team Canada
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has proudly played for the Canadian national basketball team.
Youth and Senior Team Appearances
He helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. He was the top scorer in that tournament, averaging 17.4 points per game. He also played for the senior Canadian team in the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Commitment to National Team
In May 2022, Nickeil agreed to play for the Canadian senior men's national team for three years. He was also chosen to be on Canada's team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Personal Life and Family
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has a famous cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who also plays in the NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nickeil's mother, Nicole, is the sister of Shai's father, Vaughn. Another cousin, Thomasi, also played college basketball.
Nickeil's aunt, Charmaine Gilgeous, was a professional sprinter. Both his mother and aunt went to Blessed Mother Teresa High School in Scarborough, Canada. Nickeil also went to Crestview Public School in Toronto when he was younger.
Images for kids
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Alexander-Walker playing for Canada in 2023
See also
In Spanish: Nickeil Alexander-Walker para niños
