22 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was born on July 12, 1998, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander. A 6-foot-6 guard, he grew up in nearby Hamilton before attending Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Tennessee. After representing Canada at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, he signed with Kentucky over several major programs, including Syracuse, Kansas, Florida, Texas, NC State and UNLV.

Gilgeous-Alexander played one season at Kentucky in 2017-18 and quickly developed from a reserve into the Wildcats’ floor leader. He appeared in all 37 games, making 24 starts, and averaged 14.4 points while leading the team in assists, steals, free-throw percentage and 3-point shooting. His outstanding freshman campaign earned him All-SEC Second Team honors, SEC All-Freshman Team recognition and SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading Kentucky to the conference tournament championship.

Among his most memorable performances, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 30 points in an overtime comeback victory over Vanderbilt, taking over late by scoring or assisting on 32 of Kentucky’s final 56 points and sinking the game-tying free throws in the closing seconds of regulation. He followed with 29 points in the SEC Tournament championship game against Tennessee, then starred in the NCAA Tournament with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists against Buffalo before finishing his collegiate career with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in the Sweet 16 against Kansas State.

Following the season, Gilgeous-Alexander declared for the 2018 NBA Draft and was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets before his draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He later blossomed into one of the NBA’s premier players with the Oklahoma City Thunder, earning NBA Most Valuable Player honors while leading the franchise to an NBA championship and claiming NBA Finals MVP honors in 2025.