It’s the kind of season that puts you in the history books. At 25 years old, point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring, averaging more than 30 points per game. His team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, led the league with almost 70 wins throughout the regular season. In May, he won MVP, beating out Nikola Jokic, widely regarded as the best player in the world. He won the NBA championship. He won Finals MVP. In July, he signed a four-year extension with OKC worth almost $300 million. On September 4th, he’s releasing his debut signature sneaker, the Converse Shai 001. He’s even gracing the cover of the upcoming video game NBA 2K26.
It’s safe to say that SGA, as he’s known to fans, is the most decorated Canadian basketball player since eight-time All-Star and two-time MVP Steve Nash. Indeed, he may have already done enough to join the pantheon of all-time great Canadian athletes, joining such illustrious names as Wayne Gretzky, Nancy Greene, and Gordie Howe. The NBA, unsurprisingly, has lately been looking at Gilgeous-Alexander as the future of the league — a superstar in the making and admirable role model who could inherit the legacy of Steph Curry and LeBron James as they enter the twilight of their careers. Oklahoma City is still a small market in a sport that remains dominated by the glitz and glam of New York and Los Angeles. But as SGA has made clear, when you play this well, everyone pays attention.
As Gilgeous-Alexander’s star has continued to rise, he hasn’t neglected his roots: though his success is global, SGA is always quick to remind everyone where he was born and raised. “Growing up, as I travelled across the world, people always asked me where I was from,” he says. “Some of my teammates and friends would often say Toronto, because it was the most recognizable city, and they didn’t want to have to explain where Hamilton was on the map. But I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton.”
Nowhere is the importance of his legacy more obvious than in his signature shoe. More than simply an athlete on the Converse roster, Gilgeous-Alexander was named creative director of Converse Basketball, and he’s co-created the Shai 001 to be a living tribute to his origins. Early editions of the sneaker included “Hail Clay,” based on the colour of his wife’s eyes, and “Masi Blue,” dedicated to his brother, Thomas. Gilgeous-Alexander has made a point of getting the limited-edition shoes into the hands of local fans at launches across Hamilton and Toronto first, even launching a special “Shai Camp” in Hamilton for up-and-coming talent in the city. He knows first-hand just how much talent there is in the area, and he wants to do what he can to help elevate Canadian youth.
“Hamilton is different from every other city in Ontario,” with a “grit, determination, pride and energy” that defines it, SGA says. “I carry that with me every day and everywhere that I go.”
