Shai Gilgeous-Alexander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander in 2022
No. 2 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Point guard / shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1998-07-12) July 12, 1998 (age 26) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
High school	St. Thomas More (Hamilton, Ontario) Sir Allan MacNab (Hamilton, Ontario) Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Kentucky (2017–2018)
NBA Draft	2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Pro career	2018–present
League	NBA
Career history
2018–2019	Los Angeles Clippers
2019–present	Oklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2025) NBA Finals MVP (2025) NBA Most Valuable Player (2025) 3× NBA All-Star (2023–2025) 3× All-NBA First Team (2023–2025) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2019) NBA scoring champion (2025) Lionel Conacher Award (2023) Second-team All-SEC (2018) SEC All-Freshman Team (2018) SEC tournament MVP (2018)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Canada FIBA World Cup Bronze 2023 Philippines–Japan–Indonesia FIBA Americas U18 Championship Silver 2016 Chile Team

Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander (pronounced SHAY GHIL-jəs), often called SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player. He plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born on July 12, 1998, he has become one of the NBA's top stars.

SGA is a three-time NBA All-Star. He has also been named to the All-NBA First Team three times. In the 2024–25 season, he won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. That same year, he led the Thunder to their first NBA championship. He also won the Finals MVP award.

Before the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexander played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was picked 11th in the 2018 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night. As a rookie, he made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He joined the Thunder in July 2019.

SGA also plays for the Canadian national team. He helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He was also named to the World Cup All-Tournament Team. In 2023, he received the Northern Star Award. This award is for Canada's best athlete of the year.

Shai's Early Life and Family

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Hamilton. His mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, was an Olympic track athlete. She ran in the 1992 Summer Olympics for Antigua and Barbuda. His father, Vaughn Alexander, played high school basketball. He won a city championship in Toronto.

Shai's father coached him when he was young. Shai started high school in Hamilton. He went to St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School. Later, he moved to the United States. He attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He moved to improve his basketball skills. He graduated in 2017.

High School Journey to Success

When Shai was in grade 9, he didn't make his school's junior basketball team. He played on the younger "midget" team instead. He became the team's MVP and led them to a city championship. He later moved to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Tennessee in 2015. He wanted to play against stronger competition. In his final year, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

In 2016, Shai took part in the Basketball Without Borders Camp. This camp brings together top young players. He was considered a top player by ESPN. He first planned to play for Florida in college. But he later chose to play for the University of Kentucky. He was named the MVP of the Kentucky Derby Classic. He also played in the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit.

College Basketball at Kentucky

Shai started his college season at Kentucky as a reserve player. But he still played more than 30 minutes per game. He soon showed his skills. In December, he scored 24 points against Louisville. He became a starter for the team. He played alongside four other freshmen.

Even though the team had some tough games, Shai's performance improved. He averaged 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He played very well in the SEC tournament. He continued his strong play into the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky made it to the Sweet 16. On April 9, 2018, Shai decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft.

Shai's NBA Career Begins

Starting with the Clippers

Rookie Season Highlights

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing for the Clippers in 2018

On June 21, 2018, Shai was picked 11th in the 2018 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. But he was traded right away to the Los Angeles Clippers. He played well in the NBA Summer League. There, he averaged 19 points per game.

During his rookie season, Shai scored a season-high 24 points in December 2018. He was also chosen for the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge. This event features top young players. In the 2019 playoffs, he set a new career high with 25 points.

Becoming a Star with the Thunder

Growing as a Player (2019–2020)

On July 10, 2019, Shai was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This trade involved several draft picks and NBA All-Star Paul George. He made his debut with the Thunder in October 2019. He scored 24 points in his first preseason game.

In December 2019, Shai scored a new career-high 32 points. On January 13, 2020, he achieved his first NBA triple-double. He had 20 points, 10 assists, and 20 rebounds. This made him one of the youngest players to get a "20-20-10" game.

Big Steps and Challenges (2020–2022)

In December 2020, Shai hit a game-winning shot against the Charlotte Hornets. In February 2021, he scored a career-high 42 points. His season ended early in March 2021 due to a foot injury.

In August 2021, Shai signed a big contract extension with the Thunder. He continued to make game-winning plays. In December 2021, he hit a buzzer-beater against his old team, the Clippers. He also got his second career triple-double. He was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week. This was his first time winning this award. Shai's season ended early again in March 2022 due to an ankle injury. He finished that season averaging 24.5 points and 5.9 assists.

First All-Star and Top Team Honors (2022–2023)

In October 2022, Shai was again named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week. He led the Thunder to a perfect 3–0 record. He scored 42 points in a win against the Washington Wizards. He also hit another game-winning shot against the Portland Trail Blazers.

On February 2, 2023, Shai was chosen for his first NBA All-Star Game. He scored 42 points against the Houston Rockets. He then tied his career-high with 44 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. He became the first Thunder player to score over 40 points with such high accuracy. Shai finished the season averaging 31.4 points per game. This made him one of only three Thunder players to average 30+ points. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team. He finished fifth in voting for the NBA Most Valuable Player award.

Leading the Thunder to the Top (2023–2024)

In November 2023, Shai scored 43 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also had a career-high seven steals against the San Antonio Spurs. He continued to have many high-scoring games. In December, he hit another game-winning shot against the Denver Nuggets.

On January 25, 2024, Shai was named a starter for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. This was his second All-Star selection. He set a new Thunder record with 48 games scoring 30 points or more. He finished second in the voting for the NBA Most Valuable Player award. He was also named to the All-NBA First Team again. Thanks to his amazing play, the Thunder won 57 games. They entered the 2024 NBA playoffs as the top team in the Western Conference.

In the playoffs, the Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans in four games. They reached the Western Conference Semifinals. This was the team's first time since 2016. They eventually lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Shai scored a playoff career-high 36 points in their final game.

MVP, NBA Champion, and Finals MVP (2024–2025)

The 2024–25 season was incredible for Shai. In November 2024, he scored a career-high 45 points against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. He tied this record in December against the Indiana Pacers. He was named Player of the Month for both November and December.

In January 2025, Shai led the Thunder to a franchise-record 15 straight wins. He scored a new career-high 54 points against the Utah Jazz. He was named a starter for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game for the second year in a row. He had several more 50-point games that season.

Shai became the first Canadian player to lead the NBA in scoring. He had the most 20-point, 30-point, 40-point, and 50-point games that season. He also had a 72-game streak of scoring at least 20 points. This was the longest streak since the 1960s. For his amazing performance, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He is only the second Canadian to win this award.

In the 2025 NBA playoffs, Shai led the Thunder to victory. He scored a playoff career-high 38 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder swept that series. He continued to play strongly against the Denver Nuggets. He helped the Thunder reach the Western Conference Finals. In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, he scored 40 points. The Thunder won the series. Shai was named the Western Conference Finals MVP. This led the Thunder to their first NBA Finals since 2012.

In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 38 points. This was one of the highest scores for a player's first Finals game. He scored 34 points in Game 2. He became the 12th player to reach 3,000 points combined in the regular season and playoffs. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, he had 31 points and 10 assists. This set a new NBA record for most playoff games with 30+ points and 5+ assists. The Thunder won the NBA Championship. Shai was named the Finals MVP.

Playing for Team Canada

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing for Team Canada in 2023

Shai has also played for the Canadian national team. He won a silver medal with the junior national team in 2016. Later that year, he joined the senior national team. They tried to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics but did not make it.

In 2022, Shai committed to playing for the national team for three years. He wanted to help Canada qualify for the Olympics. At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Shai was a key player for Canada. They made a historic run and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The team won the bronze medal. This was Canada's first World Cup medal ever. Shai was named to the World Cup All-Tournament Team. He also won the Northern Star Award as Canada's athlete of the year in 2023.

He played for Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Canada had a strong start but lost in the quarterfinals to France. Shai was named to the tournament's All-Second Team.

Shai's Career Stats

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018–19	L.A. Clippers	82*	73	26.5	.476	.367	.800	2.8	3.3	1.2	.5	10.8
2019–20	Oklahoma City	70	70	34.7	.471	.347	.807	5.9	3.3	1.1	.7	19.0
2020–21	Oklahoma City	35	35	33.7	.500	.418	.874	4.7	5.9	.8	.7	23.7
2021–22	Oklahoma City	56	56	34.7	.453	.300	.810	5.0	5.9	1.3	.8	24.5
2022–23	Oklahoma City	68	68	35.5	.510	.345	.905	4.8	5.5	1.6	1.0	31.4
2023–24	Oklahoma City	75	75	34.0	.535	.353	.874	5.5	6.2	2.0	.9	30.1
2024–25	Oklahoma City	76	76	34.2	.519	.375	.898	5.0	6.4	1.7	1.0	32.7*
Career		462	453	33.1	.501	.355	.862	4.8	5.1	1.4	.8	24.4
All-Star		3	2	16.9	.733	.688	.500	3.0	4.7	.3	.3	18.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2019	L.A. Clippers	6	6	28.8	.467	.500	.850	2.7	3.2	1.0	.8	13.7
2020	Oklahoma City	7	7	39.9	.433	.400	.957	5.3	4.1	1.0	.4	16.3
2024	Oklahoma City	10	10	39.9	.496	.432	.790	7.2	6.4	1.3	1.7	30.2
2025	Oklahoma City	23	23	37.0	.462	.283	.876	5.3	6.5	1.7	.9	29.9
Career		46	46	37.0	.468	.350	.859	5.4	5.7	1.4	1.0	25.8

College

Shai's Life Off the Court

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander married his longtime girlfriend, Hailey Summers, in February 2024. They had their first child in April 2024.

Shai's younger brother, Thomasi, also played college basketball. His cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is also an NBA player. Shai and Nickeil are very close.

In July 2020, Shai signed a deal with Converse. He later became a Creative Director for the company.

See also

In Spanish: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander para niños

• List of NBA single-season scoring leaders
• List of NBA career free throw percentage leaders