Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since Kevin Durant left the organization in 2016. He dropped a 35-point masterclass in Game 7 of their series with the Nuggets as they blew them out 93-125. The Thunder are set to face the Timberwolves in the next round of the Playoffs.
This put Gilgeous-Alexander in a unique position as he’s now set to face his cousin brother and Canadian teammate, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, in the conference finals. When the media asked Gilgeous-Alexander about his feelings on facing his brother, he did not hold back on explaining how close the two players are.
He said, “Yeah, it will be very fun. It’s tough to even explain. If you know how close we are, he’s literally like my second brother. He’s been through every stage of life with me. Picking up a basketball, to going to prep school, to making the NBA. We’ve gone through every situation together. For both of us to be where we are is special; to compete against each other is more special. But I am trying to take his head off, for sure.”
How Are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And Nickeil Alexander-Walker Related?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are first cousins. The two players grew up together in Ontario, Canada. Shai’s father, Vaughn Alexander, is the brother of Nickeil’s mom, Nicole Alexander. The duo was so close that they often slept in the same bed.
The duo fell in love with basketball at a young age and found themselves keen on it from the beginning. They played in the same high school, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, where both of their jersey numbers were eventually retired. Shai declared for the NBA draft in 2018 and was the 11th overall pick by the Clippers. Meanwhile, Nickeil was drafted in 2019 as the 17th overall pick in the first round by the Pelicans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Helped Nickeil Alexander-Walker Improve
Since the two players are in the same conference of the NBA they have clashed against each other on multiple occasions. While speaking to the media, nearly a year ago, before a match-up in Minnesota, Alexander-Walker spoke about how he felt about Gilgeous-Alexander.
He said, “Pushed me a lot to be better. Having him there… grew up together, being the same age, playing on the same teams. He was my best friend, he was like a twin brother to me. So to have someone share that to share that journey with was special. I think there’s no words that can describe how far we’ve both come and how hard it was, and the things that we had to go through. But also having each other being there and playing together and all the stories, the memories, to see that the dream’s coming true for the both of us, all you can really do is thank god.”
The duo has never faced off in a Playoff series before. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 25.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 23 games versus the Timberwolves in his career. This includes three games where he played with the Clippers. In the remaining 20 games, he averaged 28.5 points, 6.1 assists and 6.0 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 15 games versus the Thunder in his career. This includes several matchups from his time in New Orleans, Utah, and then Minnesota. It will be interesting to see how these cousins fare in a series of seven games and whether Alexander-Walker can use his previous knowledge to help the Timberwolves stop the MVP frontrunner, Gilgeous-Alexander.
