Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's dad says son's NBA MVP award is '100% surreal'
'I can't say that I knew this was going to happen,' said Vaughan Alexander
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 finals against Gilgeous-Alexander's Oklahoma City Thunder. Cousin against cousin. The Thunder won Game 1, with Game 2 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,'" Alexander said.
Congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Gilgeous-Alexander from his hometown and beyond.
Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School, which Gilgeous-Alexander attended for Grades 10 and 11, held an assembly to celebrate the news on Thursday. In front of about 400 students assembled in the school gymnasium, including the senior boys' basketball team decked out in t-shirts featuring images of the star player, speakers painted a picture of a hardworking student and athlete.
Rowan Barrett, a former national team member who is now general manager of Canada Basketball, said Gilgeous-Alexander has earned his place in the history books.
"Shai not only found his way to the NBA, but to the top," Barrett told the students, seated on the floor and in bleachers running up one side of the gym. "They will be talking about this in Canadian history for many, many years to come. It will be in board games and Trivia Pursuit."
Barrett, the father of Toronto Raptors player RJ Barrett, called Gilgeous-Alexander a model of the dedication and constant effort required to achieve truly great things.
"I don't know that I've ever seen a player that works harder and has more discipline than Shai," he said, adding that even though the star athlete is already at the top of the NBA, he will keep refining his game in the months and years to come, because that's just how he operates. "He will be a better player tomorrow than he is today."
Carter Brown, co-captain of the senior boys' basketball team at Sir Allan MacNab, says seeing someone from his small school succeed at such a high level is inspiring to him and his teammates.
"It's crazy to think that someone similar to my position now could be the best player in the world," he told CBC Hamilton. "It opens the possibilities of what I can do and what others can do."
He said he looks up to the NBA star, not just for his talent but for the way he comports himself.
"He doesn't like to showboat a lot and he keeps himself calm, cool and collected," Brown said.
The school also unveiled a massive mural on the outside of the school depicting its famous alumnus and celebrating the MVP win.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath was also among those extending congratulations this week.
"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 was 10 years old when he met Gilgeous-Alexander.
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 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 ability 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."
With files from Greg Ross, Here and Now and The Associated Press