There's no telling what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA MVP Award will do for basketball in Canada.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named the league's most valuable player on Wednesday, after the Oklahoma City Thunder guard led the league with 32.7 points, 7.9 free throws and 21.8 field-goal attempts per game. He also averaged 6.4 assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals in the regular season.
The 26-year-old from Hamilton becomes the second Canadian to be so honoured after Steve Nash did it in 2005 and 2006.
Watching Nash inspired a young Gilgeous-Alexander to chase his dream.
"He set the foundation. He was the first Canadian basketball player I knew of," Gilgeous-Alexander said Wednesday. "Without seeing guys from Canada go to the NBA, it wouldn't have been as much of a dream as it was for us as kids growing up."
"To be in the conversation with a guy like that, and what he's meant to not only basketball, but to the country of Canada, has been special."
A new generation of Canadian basketball players will now be inspired by the country's new MVP, said Rowan Barret, general manager of Canada's national men's team.
"I would expect that it will continue to inspire our youth as well as our athletes that are already in the pros," he said. "I think it can inspire them to believe that they can play at the top levels of this game, that it is possible to come out of a smaller centre like Hamilton and be able to star on one of the biggest stages on Earth."
Gilgeous-Alexander beat out Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jokic is a three-time MVP and Antetokounmpo has won the award twice.
No U.S.-born played has been named the NBA's top player since 2018 when James Harden was recognized for his accomplishments with the Houston Rockets.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City lead the best-of-seven Western Conference final against the Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0. Gilgeous-Alexander is joined on the Thunder by Montreal's Lu Dort. Toronto's Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Gilgeous-Alexander's cousin, is on the Timberwolves.
Barrett said that Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP award will have an immediate impact on Canada's men's teams.
"When he's in the fold, guys are thinking like, 'Oh man, we're going to do it. We're going to win. I've just got to do my part,'" said Barrett, noting that Gilgeous-Alexander is one of a core group of players committed to representing Canada internationally. "When an athlete of that magnitude decides to represent their country and sacrifice their time to do so, when he's already carrying an NBA franchise, but his country is that important to him that in the summer, when normally these guys would take their time and go be free and do all the things they want to do, he's in Asia, travelling (with the Canadian team).
"He's going to France (for the 2024 Paris Olympics), doing all these things, going to these countries. I think it sends a message to the other players. 'He can do it, what's my reason for not doing it? I think I should do it too.'"
Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, who is from London, Ont., thinks that Gilgeous-Alexander's success in the 2024-25 season is great for the sport in Canada.
"He's another dude from Canada, growing up in Canada, he's doing his thing, while also all the other Canadians are doing their things," said Sharpe during the regular season. "I think it's mostly encouraging the younger generation in Canada that's trying to take basketball to the next level.
"I think it encourages all the guys and girls, especially the younger ones, to be great and chase their dreams."
Toronto Raptors shooting guard RJ Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., was also excited at the prospect of Gilgeous-Alexander winning the MVP award.
"He's one of the best, if not the best player in the world right now," said Barrett, the son of Rowan Barrett and Nash's godson. "He plays really good defence, but he's up there in steals, so he's kind of doing everything while averaging 30 (points per game).
"He's a great player, for sure. I think that would mean a lot, not just for Canada, but for the world, just to see that our Canadian talent is really at a nice level."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
