Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 'blessed' to play with Nickeil Alexander-Walker for Canada

Everything came together for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Still feeling the scars of falling five wins shy of going back-to-back, the two-time MVP winner enjoyed a nice pick-me-up a little over a month after as we're amid the hottest part of the summer.

Canada picked up a relaxing 110-84 win over Puerto Rico in the 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifier. Gilgeous-Alexander parachuted in and scored an easy 26 points in front of his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. To make things even more special, the court was designed with his logo on the baselines.

Most of Canada's top NBA players sat this out. But Gilgeous-Alexander had every incentive to suit up. With the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Olympics right around the corner, the program hopes to build off its most successful stint of international hoops thanks to his ascension as an all-time great.

Gilgeous-Alexander also had the chance to play alongside cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker. That hasn't happened since their high school days. The former went to the more prestigious Kentucky before becoming a one-and-done lottery pick. Meanwhile, the latter had to play multiple years at Virginia Tech.

Even though both are success stories on their own, their paths have taken completely different roads. Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into one of the NBA's best players this era. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Larry O'Brien trophy. His accolade list is as long as a CVS receipt.

Meanwhile, Alexander-Walker took a minute to find his footing in the NBA. Bouncing around several teams, he finally broke out on the Atlanta Hawks this past year. He suddenly became a 20-point scorer. That was enough to win the Most Improved Player award.

On the international stage, Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker get to have a cousin reunion as Canadian teammates. Both played in their lopsided win over Puerto Rico. Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 26 points; Alexander-Walker helped with eight points and seven assists.

"Those experiences are insane to me, to be playing on this level. I’ve passed him so many outlet passes in our career," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We were just this tall, doing so with baggy jerseys on and socks up to our knees, big shoes. We’ve been through every step of our basketball careers together. To still be doing it at a high level together is an experience that’s hard to put into words and has me breaking character in the middle of the game."

Always cool to see Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker share the court — especially when they're on the same side. In a league filled with cool family stories, they're one of the most successful cousin tandems. Not only are their NBA homes enjoying the fruit of their hard work, but so is their country.

"We've definitely had our fair share of conversations about how crazy and how blessed we are for sure," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 'blessed' to play with Nickeil Alexander-Walker for Canada