The Oklahoma City Thunder were among teams vying for the playoff entry tournament in early March. Then 22-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Canada went down with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Since the injury on March 12, the Thunder have lost 12 of 13 and have plummeted to 13th in the Western Conference standings.
Now, more than a month has passed and the injury is not healing as well as the Thunder had hoped. Gilgeous-Alexander’s foot has improved, but he’s not as far along as the team had hoped at this stage. Another couple of weeks will pass before Gilgeous-Alexander is reevaluated.
The recovery has progressed enough to allow him to increase his overall workouts and drills on the court. There will still be nine games left in the season after his next examination, so there is a possibility Gilgeous-Alexander can resume play before the season concludes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to a mother who was a world-class athlete …
… from Antigua and Barbuda and participated in track and field at the 1992 Olympic games. Although he initially attended school in Hamilton, Ontario, Gilgeous-Alexander moved to a school in Tennessee in order to upgrade his skills. Playing against tougher competition proved successful for Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged over 18 points during his final high school season.
Sought after by several Division I colleges, Gilgeous-Alexander decided on attending Kentucky after previously committing to Florida. He started the 2017-2018 season learning as a backup, but still managed to see 30 minutes of floor time per contest. After an outburst of more than 20 points in game against the Louisville Cardinals just before Christmas, Gilgeous-Alexander took off and followed with 39 points combined over the next two games. Although Kentucky was struggling with five freshmen in the lineup, Gilgeous-Alexander improved to nearly 13 points per game. Gilgeous-Alexander led Kentucky on a nice run in March Madness before falling to Kansas State.
After just a single season in Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander declared eligible for the 2018 NBA Draft. Just out of the top 10, he was taken by the Charlotte Hornets 11th in the 2018 NBA Draft. He was headed to the Clippers later that night in a trade. Getting to work early, Gilgeous-Alexander excelled in the summer league, averaging nearly 20 points per game.
As is typical for NBA rookies, there were ups and downs during the young Canadian’s first NBA season. There were some highlights in his second month, scoring a career-best 24 points in a defeat to the Trailblazers. He equaled that total a month later against the Golden State Warriors. Gilgeous-Alexander showed enough in his game to be named to the World Team for the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend. He finished the season with a scoring average of 10.8 points and rose ot the occasion in the postseason with 25 points against the Warriors.
Despite the promising rookie season, Gilgeous-Alexander quickly learned the reality of the NBA
He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with six others for All-Star Paul George. Not to be deterred, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 24 points in his first preseason game. Just a few days before Christmas, he posted a new career-best 32 points in a victory over his former team. Less than a month later, he became the youngest player to ever score 20 points with 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game.
Quickly ascending into an all-star caliber player, Gilgeous-Alexander finished the 2019-2020 season averaging 19 points, six rebounds, and over three assists per game. He’s taken his game to the next level this season, averaging 23.7 points and six assists, while hitting 42 percent from three-point range.
The sky is the limit for the 22-year-old Canadian upon his return. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the road to stardom for years to come!
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