Image: Jeff Chiu/The Associated Press
There’s no debating it: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of the best years an athlete could have.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named The Canadian Press’ Male Athlete of the Year on Saturday in balloting by editors, writers and broadcasters from across the country, easily winning the award for the second time in his career.
The Hamilton native earned the honour after winning the NBA MVP, the NBA Finals MVP, the league’s scoring title, and leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to their second championship in franchise history and first since 1979, when they were the Seattle SuperSonics.
“It’s not really even debatable as to whether he’s one of the best players in the world. I mean, there’s zero debate now,” said Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada’s men’s national basketball team. “You could not like his game. You could not like his team.
“You could not like whatever but, objectively, how can you create an argument that he’s not one of the best players in the world.”
Received 89.3 per cent of votes
Gilgeous-Alexander got 89.3 per cent of the votes, with Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was born in Montreal but plays for the Dominican Republic internationally, finishing second. Tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and race walker Evan Dunfee of Richmond, B.C., also earned votes.
Nicknamed SGA, Gilgeous-Alexander was also CP’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2023 after leading Canada to its first-ever medal at the FIBA World Cup, and qualifying for the Summer Olympics for the first time in 24 years. He’s one of 17 athletes to win the award twice, including hockey legends Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, and Mario Lemieux as well as tennis star Milos Raonic. The only other basketball player to win the award is Hall of Famer Steve Nash, who did so three times.
The six-foot-six Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, five rebounds, 1.7 steals and one block per game last season. Oklahoma City had the best regular-season record in the NBA’s Western Conference and dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves on its way to the NBA Finals.
