Quick Facts
Full Name | Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander |
Known As | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and SGA |
Nickname | SGA |
Birth Date | July 12, 1998 |
Birthplace | Toronto, Ontario |
Residence | Not Available |
Religion | Christianity |
Nationality | Canadian |
Ethnicity | Not Available |
Education | St. Thomas More, Sir Allan MacNab, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, and Kentucky (2017–2018) |
Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Father’s Name | Vaughn Alexander |
Mother’s Name | Charmaine Gilgeous |
Siblings | Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander (brother) |
Age | 24 years old |
Height | 6’6″ |
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
Eye Color | Brown |
Hair Color | Black |
Body Type | Athletic |
Profession | Basketball Player |
Marital Status | In a relationship |
Girlfriend | Hailey Summers |
Children | None |
Active since | 2018–present |
Teams |
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Achievements |
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Net Worth | $5 million |
NBA Draft Pick | 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall |
Position | Point Guard & Shooting Guard |
League | NBA |
Merch | Notebook |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Last Update | July 2022 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a well-known Canadian professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Oklahoma City Thunder.
The point guard of the Thunder has traveled from Canada to Tennessee, Kentucky to Los Angeles, and now to Oklahoma City.
He’s had to prove himself at every step of the way, begging for opportunities from teams that never gave them to him in the first place. For the first time, he has a team eager to hand him the keys.
Prior to the NBA season’s suspension, the Oklahoma City Thunder had established themselves as one of the most well-balanced teams and a difficult matchup every night.
Among the reasons for this are Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s strong sophomore season, in which he established himself as one of the league’s most promising young guards.
In this article, we will cover everything there’s about SGA. However, before getting into details, we will look at the quick facts about him.
Early Years
SGA knew he had to leave home if his basketball dreams were to come true. So, at the age of 16, he left his hometown of Ontario in search of an opportunity to meet with college coaches.
He’d enrolled at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and convinced his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, to join him.
As a junior, the player came to Hamilton with only one scholarship offer from Binghamton. There were outlines of the player he would become one day. For a security guard, he was always tall.
Coach Mike White at Florida offered him a scholarship months after he arrived in America.
Out of desperation, Shai accepted a high-major offer, but he still desired more. Kentucky had always been his dream college. He contacted Kentucky before Kentucky could contact him after he was de-committed from Florida.
Beginnings of a Career
Career in High School
While growing up in Hamilton, Shai did not make the St. Thomas More junior team in grade 9 and instead played on the school’s midget squad.
He was named team MVP and won the midget boys city championship. He then attended Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School before transferring to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2015.
In early 2016, he attended the Basketball Without Borders Camp. Gilgeous-Alexander, an ESPN four-star recruit, initially committed to Florida before reopening his recruitment in October 2016.
His final five schools were Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, Texas, and UNLV. The following month, he announced his intention to play college basketball at Kentucky.
At the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit, he scored eleven points in 21:24 minutes of action for the World Select Team.
College Life
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started the 2017-18 season as a backup to freshman point guard Quade Green, but he still played more than 30 minutes per game.
After a tough loss to UCLA, Alexander exploded against Louisville in December, scoring 24 points, grabbing five rebounds, four assists, and securing three steals.
He was a consistent contributor for a “struggling” UK team that lost four games in a row during the season. Kentucky was eliminated in the Sweet 16 by Kansas State after dominating Davidson and Buffalo in the first two rounds.
Gilgeous-final Alexander’s college basketball performance ended with a missed three-point shot at the buzzer. On April 9, 2018, he declared for the 2018 NBA Draft.
Professional Development
After being drafted 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Clippers on draft night, Gilgeous-NBA Alexander’s career began much like it did in prep school and the NCAA, on the bench.
Furthermore, in a 127-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on December 17, 2018, the 6’6″ tall player set a season high with 24 points.
On January 18, 2019, the athlete tied his season high of 24 points against the Golden State Warriors. Eleven days later, he was named to the World Team, which will compete in the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge on behalf of Canada.
Shai made his Oklahoma City Thunder preseason debut against the Dallas Mavericks on October 8, 2019.
On December 18, he scored 18 points and hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to help the Thunder defeat his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, 104-103.
In addition, four days later, he had his second career triple-double with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 108-94 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Height, weight, and age
On July 12, 1998, Shai was born. The 6-foot-6 point guard with a 6-foot-11.5-inch wingspan plays a style of basketball that appears to be more suited to the grinding and bruising NBA of the 1990s and early 2000s. Similarly, he weighs 82 kg.
In many ways, he is the polar opposite of the modern NBA player. He’s not especially athletic. Furthermore, he isn’t interested in using a flashy handle to set up a deep three, preferring instead the analytically maligned mid-range.
Everything about his game, right down to the short shorts he wears, appears to be from another era.
Alexander, Shai Gilgeous: Parents
In Toronto, Vaughn Alexander and Charmaine Gilgeous gave birth to the NBA player. His mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, competed in the 400-meter dash for Antigua and Barbuda in the 1992 Olympics.
Furthermore, Shai got his first taste of the NBA while sitting in the nosebleed section of the Air Canada Centre, watching the Bosh-and-Calderon Raptors.
In addition, while shooting on a garage-mounted net in the family driveway, he learned the fundamentals from his father.
Siblings
Alexander’s younger brother, Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander, is a college basketball player for the Evansville Purple Aces. His younger cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is an NBA player for the Utah Jazz.
The two consider themselves brothers and communicate frequently, but Vaughn taught them both as children not to give an inch when playing one-on-one.
Alexander-Walker attributes his cousin’s competitiveness to the games. Their childhood friendship has survived as the two have grown into professional league players.
The cousins chose Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they were also roommates for two years, living at coach Zach Ferrell’s house.
Shai and Alexander-Walker met for the first time as NBA players in 2019 when the Thunder hosted the Pelicans at Chesapeake Energy Arena. They imagined this moment as children growing up 40 miles away in Canada.
While Alexander-mother Walker’s worked two jobs as a single parent, Vaughn Alexander was his father figure.
Earnings
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a net worth of $5 million. Shai and the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a five-year, $172 million rookie extension on August 3, 2021, which will be upgraded to a five-year, $207 million Rookie Max extension if he is named to an All-NBA Team.
According to Spotrac, Gilgeous-base Alexander’s salary in 2021-22 will be $5,495,532, with a $5,495,532 cap hit and a $5,495,532 dead cap value.
Shai has been a Nike-sponsored athlete since joining the league in 2018, and Converse has been a Nike subsidiary since 2003.
Furthermore, in his first Converse commercial, the Hamilton, ON native attributed his rise to become one of the league’s brightest young stars to his upbringing.
Converse has been worn by some of the game’s most influential figures, including Julius Erving in the 1970s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 1980s, and Dwyane Wade during his historic championship run in 2006.
Now, the player is attempting to carry the torch as the next great to represent the iconic brand, and he’s doing so admirably.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Female
Hailey Summers is the 24-year-girlfriend. old’s The couple hasn’t been shy about flaunting their bodies on social media.
Hailey is a soccer player from Canada who currently plays for the University of Albany. She is a St. Mary Catholic Secondary School graduate from Ontario, Canada.
Hailey helped her high school win several city soccer and football championships. She did, in fact, play high school basketball and won some city championships.
She did, however, continue to enjoy soccer after graduating from high school. Hailey is a defender for the University of Albany’s Women’s Soccer team.
In 2017, she played in 17 games for the University of Albany soccer team, recording one assist. She made 23 appearances, including 22 starts, the following year.
During the 2020-21 season, she was named to the USC Scholar All-Atlantic Second Team, the America East All-Conference First Team, and the America East All-Academic teams. Hailey is an avid social media user who frequently shares photos of herself with Shai.
How did Shai Summers and Hailey Summers meet?
Shai and Hailey have been dating since they were in high school in 2016. Hailey went to St. Mary’s, and Shai went to St. Thomas Moore Catholic Secondary School. They had been together for five years on August 23, 2021.
While Shai has been transferred twice in a short period of time, one person has been with him for years: his girlfriend, Hailey Summers.
Shai has found time to meet his love despite being traded twice in his career and having to relocate from Los Angeles to Oklahoma. In addition, the couple has shared several photos of themselves on social media, and they look adorable together.
The Internet of Things
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well-known for his outlandish appearances on social media. He is well-known for his daring sense of fashion. He arrived at the Paycom Center dressed as one of the characters from the popular e-game ‘Among Us,’ which was unusual for him.
Shai knows how to keep his fans and followers entertained. If you want to follow him on social media, click the link below;
- Instagram– 1.1m followers (As of June 2022)
- Twitter– 122.4k followers (As of June 2022)
FAQs
What is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander known for?
Shai, one of the NBA’s rising young stars, has emerged as one of the best players from the highly talented 2018 NBA Draft. Among his rookie class, he ranks in the top five in total assists and points and in the top ten in total rebounds.
Is Shai a good defender?
If he can keep up his shooting numbers, Shai will be among the NBA’s elite while also being a good enough defender to lead the Thunder.
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