Nickeil Alexander-Walker facts for kids
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93067.jpg)
Alexander-Walker with Canada in 2023
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 – Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 2, 1998 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
|||||||||||||||||||
| High school |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, often called NAW, is a professional basketball player from Canada. He plays as a shooting guard for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on September 2, 1998. 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 his draft rights were soon traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Nickeil Alexander-Walker grew up in Toronto, Canada. He played basketball at several high schools. These included Vaughan Secondary School in Canada, and St. Louis Christian Academy and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in the United States.
At Hamilton Heights, he played alongside 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 basketball players in his high school class of 2017.
College Basketball Career
In May 2016, Alexander-Walker decided to play college basketball for Virginia Tech. Other big schools like USC and Maryland also wanted him to play for them.
Freshman Year at Virginia Tech
As a freshman, Nickeil played well for the Hokies. He scored about 10.7 points and grabbed 3.8 rebounds per game. In only his second college game, he scored an amazing 29 points! He helped Virginia Tech win 21 games and get into the NCAA tournament.
Sophomore Year Success
In his second year, Alexander-Walker improved even more. He averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He helped his team have a great season, winning 24 games. They also made it to the "Sweet 16" round of the NCAA Tournament.
Professional NBA Career
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has played for several teams in the NBA since being drafted in 2019.
New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2022)
On June 20, 2019, the Brooklyn Nets chose Alexander-Walker as the 17th pick in the 2019 NBA draft. However, his draft rights were quickly traded. First, he went to the Atlanta Hawks, and then immediately to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans officially signed him on July 7, 2019.
He made his NBA debut on October 22, 2019, playing against the Toronto Raptors. In that game, he scored three points, had four rebounds, and two assists. On November 16, 2019, he scored a career-high 27 points against the Miami Heat.
Sometimes, NBA players also play in the NBA G League to get more playing time. In February 2020, Nickeil played for the Erie BayHawks, a G League team. He scored 23 points in his first game there. On January 13, 2021, he had another career-high game, scoring 37 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Utah Jazz (2022–2023)
In February 2022, Nickeil was part of a big trade. He was traded from the Pelicans to the Portland Trail Blazers, and then just one day later, he was traded again to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–2025)
On February 9, 2023, Alexander-Walker was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was part of another three-team trade that also involved the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz. He signed a new contract with the Timberwolves on July 10, 2023.
During the 2024–25 NBA season, Nickeil played in all 82 games for the Timberwolves. He averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. On May 26, 2025, he scored a playoff career-high 23 points in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Atlanta Hawks (2025–Present)
On July 6, 2025, Nickeil Alexander-Walker signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. This was part of a "sign-and-trade" deal.
Playing for Team Canada
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has proudly represented his home country, Canada, in international basketball.
Youth and Senior Teams
He played for Canada at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. He helped his team win a silver medal and was the top scorer in the whole tournament, averaging 17.4 points per game. He also played for the senior Canadian national team in the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
On May 24, 2022, Nickeil made a three-year promise to play for the Canadian senior men's national team. 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 strong family connection to basketball. His cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is also a professional NBA player. Shai currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nickeil's mother, Nicole, is the sister of Shai's father, Vaughn. Another one of his cousins, Thomasi, also played college basketball.
Images for kids
-
Alexander-Walker with Canada in 2023
See also
In Spanish: Nickeil Alexander-Walker para niños
