Canada's Gilgeous-Alexander named to all-NBA 1st team after stellar season with Thunder

Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got his first career all-NBA nod on Thursday, securing a spot on the first team.

The Hamilton native averaged a career-high 31.4 points per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was good for fourth in the league.

Meanwhile, the young Thunder squad narrowly missed the playoffs after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament following two tough seasons.

The 24-year-old was just the fourth Canadian player to be named an all-star in February, which was also a first in his career. Steve Nash, Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins and Jamaal Magloire are the others.

Joining Gilgeous-Alexander on the first team are Philadelphia centre and league MVP Joel Embiid, Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston forward Jayson Tatum and Dallas guard Luka Doncic.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.