Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the key to the city of Hamilton from Mayor Andrea Horwath at a public rally Thursday at Hamilton Stadium.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander To Have A Street Named After Him
Horwath gave Gilgeous-Alexander the first key to the city to be presented by a Hamilton mayor since September 1998. The last recipient was professional wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
“Shai, you’ve not just inspired Hamilton, not just Canada, but fans around the world. And you’ve done it with humility, with heart and an unwavering connection to the city you call home,” said Horwath. “On behalf of all Hamiltonians, we could not be more proud.”
Horwath also announced that the reigning NBA MVP will have a street named after him after leading the Thunder to their first NBA championship in franchise history.
“Growing up as I traveled across the world, to countless states, cities and countries people always asked where I was from,” Gilgeous-Alexander told the cheering crowd after hoisting the NBA championship trophy over his head.
“I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton. I liked telling them what Steel City meant to me. Hamiltonians carry a different sense of grit, determination and pride, and energy than the rest of the province.
“And honestly, I couldn’t shy away from that. I carry that with me every day and everywhere I go, so you guys can only imagine how [much] overwhelming joy there was when I found out I was getting a key to the city I love and a street named after me.”
SGA Attended Two High Schools In Hamilton
Gilgeous-Alexander went to high school at St. Thomas More and Sir Allan MacNab, both in Hamilton, before committing to the University of Kentucky, where he played his freshman 2017-18 season.
SGA was then selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for the pick after him, which ended up being Miles Bridges.
During the 2019 offseason, the Clippers traded Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and the rights to swap two other first-round picks to the Thunder for Paul George.
Gilgeous-Alexander won his first NBA MVP last season after averaging career highs of 32.7 points and 6.4 assists to go with 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 34.2 minutes per contest in 76 games.
Per Basketball Reference, Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in points (2,484), points per game, field goals (860), field goal attempts (1,656), free throws (601), free throws per game (7.9), and defensive win shares (4.8).
In Oklahoma City’s 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 22, he recorded a career-high 54 points on 17-of-35 (48.6%) shooting from the floor, 3-of-10 (30%) from beyond the arc, and 17-of-18 (94.4%) at the foul line.
SGA Won NBA MVP, Finals MVP Last Season
Gilgeous-Alexander, who also averaged 30.3 points in the NBA Finals, joined an exclusive list of players to win the MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.
The only others to accomplish that feat are Michael Jordan (four times), LeBron James (twice), Larry Bird (twice), Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Willis Reed.
In addition, Gilgeous-Alexander also became the first player to win a scoring title and NBA championship in the same season since O’Neal in 2000. The only others to have done that are Jordan (six times), Abdul-Jabbar, George Mikan (twice), and Joe Fulks.
Last month, SGA and the Thunder agreed to a four-year, $285 million super max contract extension. The 27-year-old now has the richest annual salary for a player in NBA history.