Basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was voted Canada's top athlete of the year on Monday. The 25-year-old from Hamilton is the Northern Star Award recipient, formerly the Lou Marsh Trophy, after receiving his first all-NBA nod and leading the Canadian men's team to a bronze-medal upset of the United States at the Basketball World Cup.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the second basketball player to win the award after Steve Nash grabbed honours in 2005. He beat out Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, golfer and Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor, hammer thrower Camryn Rogers and swimmer Summer McIntosh for the award.
Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander finished fourth in NBA scoring with 31.4 points per game and placed fifth in MVP balloting while helping the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder land a surprising play-in spot.
This season, he's still averaging more than 30 points while his assist and rebound numbers are up and OKC is 14-7 — the second-best record in the Western Conference.