Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's dad says son's NBA MVP award is '100% surreal'

CBC

22-05-2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's father says it's "100 per cent surreal" watching his son being named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
Twenty-six-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander, from Hamilton, won the award for the first time Wednesday night, the second Canadian to be so honoured, after Steve Nash did it in 2005 and 2006. It's also now seven straight years that a player born outside the U.S. won MVP, extending the longest such streak in league history.
"I can't say that I knew this was going to happen or this is what we [had] written," Vaughan Alexander told CBC News.
Alexander, who coached his son and nephew Nickeil Walker-Alexander when they were kids, said the two of them probably knew this day would come, but he did not. Walker-Alexander plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are in the NBA Conference Semifinals against Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder. Cousin against cousin. The Thunder won game one, with game two of the series to be played Thursday night.
"These guys are the type of guys that dream big and they're always doing these little mini games and series against each other and they had that in their mind that, you know, 'we're going to do something one day,'" he said.
Congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Gilgeous-Alexander from his hometown and beyond. Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath was among those extending congratulations.
"From all of us in Hamilton, congratulations Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on being named NBA 2024-25 Most Valuable Player! You've done @cityofhamilton proud," Horwath wrote in a post on Instagram.
'He's truly a great player,' local teen says
Thirteen-year-old Hamilton basketball player Mason Versace met Gilgeous-Alexander when he was 10 years old.
Versace says he's "so happy" to learn Gilgeous-Alexander has won the award for the NBA's Most Valuable Player, adding, "I knew he had it this whole time."
"He's truly a great player on the court, and you can tell how much work he puts in, he shows it when he's playing on the court. It's truly amazing," Versace said on CBC Radio's Here and Now.
Versace said he got the chance to meet Gilgeous-Alexander while attending his camp. He also got to play one-on-one with the NBA star.
"It was amazing, it was the greatest day of my life. He wasn't really trying because I did beat him 3-0, but it was truly amazing," Versace said.
'A hometown hero'
Versace plays basketball with STAC Hamilton, a not-for-profit in the city that supports equity deserving youth in sports.
STAC Hamilton's executive director, Vincent Kuber, says Gilgeous-Alexander says kids are excited to have "a hometown hero," and the recognition of the talent coming out of Hamilton will help to motivate more youth to play basketball.
"Having Hamilton represented at that level now, aside from Steve Nash, which when I grew up, that was the guy, and now this generation is SGA, which is pretty cool, we're very proud to have that happen," Kuber said.
Gilgeous-Alexander's former coach Anthony Otto says he always knew he'd become an elite player.
" He was cerebral in his decision-making on the court. He's a true leader," Otto said.
"When he played in the EYBL, [Nike Elite Youth Basketball League] he only averaged seven points a game. He's leading the NBA in scoring right now but he averaged seven points a day, but 12 assists in the EYBL because he wanted to ensure that all of his teammates got as much shine as he was receiving.
"He has an ability to score the ball, he has an inability to pass the ball. He has an innate ability to lead, which is the most important factor. You watch him in his post-game interviews, it's never Shai, It's always us. And he ensures that after every game and that's been his mentality, and that's why he's a winner," Otto added.
Gilgeous-Alexander said a life of moments — getting cut, traded, overlooked, celebrating, the wins, the good times — all flooded into his mind when he was announced as the NBA's most valuable player.
"I don't think there's enough emphasis on how much off the court influences on the court," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And once I became better off the court my career started to skyrocket. It's no coincidence."