Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a first-time all-star but we should get used to seeing the Hamilton star

SALT LAKE CITY—There is an authenticity to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that is refreshing. The Hamilton native is a genuine NBA star who comports himself as an everyman kind of player. There are no airs about him.

He strode onto the floor of the media area at NBA all-star weekend with no pretension, sat for an NBA TV interview with his normal casual style and stopped to say hello to a familiar face on the way to his personal podium, where he did about half an hour that was a series of conversations rather than droll question-and-answer sound bites. It’s not every NBA all-star who is willing or able to do that.

But he’s not every NBA all-star. When his career ends, the 24-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander will be in the conversation about the best Canadian player of all time. And that idea brings a twinkle to his eye.

“It’s amazing,” the Oklahoma City Thunder guard said Saturday. “Obviously, making the NBA from Canada is one thing, and then being a really good player in the NBA and then making the all-star game is another.

“To be with the group of guys that have (been all-stars) — I think it’s Steve (Nash), Jamaal (Magloire) and Andrew (Wiggins) — is an honour and a blessing, for sure.”

The six-foot-six guard has earned that honour, one that has long been expected. When Gilgeous-Alexander was a rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018, then-Clipper and former Raptors assistant coach Rex Kalamian predicted he would be an all-star.

Four years later, he’s one of the league’s most explosive players, averaging 30.5 points per game and fully deserving of his spot with the other NBA greats in Sunday’s All-Star Game.

He is central to the building process the Thunder are undertaking, in the first season of a five-year contract that will pay him $178 million and cement him as the foundation of the franchise. Teams should forget about getting him away from the Thunder and be more wary of him attracting other stars to play with him on an intriguing young team.

“Ultimately, it’s one of the goals that I try to accomplish (being an all-star), and accomplishing that is a really good feeling,” he said. “It kind of motivates me to do more and get more and take what I want.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s impact likely will extend beyond the NBA. He has fully committed to representing Canada at this fall’s FIBA World Cup and, perhaps, the 2024 Paris Olympics and he is rapidly becoming the face of that team.

He is surrounded by talent — Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Dwight Powell, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, Kelly Olynyk — that has Canada Basketball officials over the moon with anticipation. And Gilgeous-Alexander has been the top draw.

“He got committed to the program, pretty obviously, a couple of summers ago,” Canada head coach Nick Nurse said. “It really was just like, ‘Listen, there was a couple of reasons I couldn’t play and I’m playing now.’ He committed, showed leadership, showed great desire and practice and focus.”

Gilgeous-Alexander appreciates the Canadian support and broke out in a wide smile thinking about a billboard in his hometown bearing his likeness and congratulations on making the All-Star Game for the first time. And when it’s suggested he is becoming the most popular and, arguably, the best player on a Canadian team that might do some international damage, he doesn’t shy away.

“Bring it on,” he said.

For now, he is soaking up the atmosphere of the all-star weekend like he’s just some fan and not someone central to the future of the event.

“I think just enjoying the city and the dunk contest (and the) three-point contest with my family and friends,” he said of his pans. “A lot of my people are here, people that have supported me through the whole journey, who have been with me through the whole journey, from when I was a kid.”

SHARE: