Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the NBA’s elite players, claiming MVP honors and leading his team to the 2025 Western Conference Finals. So, who is the family that helped make the star?
Born in July 1998 in Ontario, Canada, Gilgeous-Alexander grew up in a family where excellence in sport was a standard, not a goal.
He finally made it to professional basketball in 2018 when he was picked by the Charlotte Hornets and sent to the Los Angeles Clippers.
And with Olympians, collegiate athletes, and fellow NBA players in his immediate circle, his rise to prominence seems less like an anomaly and more like a product of lineage and dedication, so who are they?
Who is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s mother and dad? Meet his parents
Gilgeous-Alexander’s mother, Charmaine Gilgeous, was a top-tier sprinter who represented Antigua and Barbuda at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, competing in the women’s 400-meter race.
Before that, she earned five All-American honors at the University of Alabama, making her one of the most accomplished athletes of her time and in prime position to install a winning mentality in her son.
Whilst his father, Vaughan Alexander, also has an athletic background by playing high school basketball at Georges Vanier Secondary School in Toronto, helping his team secure a North York League championship during his senior year.
After stepping away from competitive play, Vaughan turned his focus to mentorship. He now operates an organization called No Flukes, which is dedicated to personal and athletic development for youth.
The couple had two sons, Shai and Thomasi, before eventually divorcing. However, they remained united in supporting their sons’ basketball development, with Vaughan teaching Shai the fundamentals to the game – as well as his nephew, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
“He gave me life lessons about what being a man was like and what men do in certain situations,” Nickeil recalled of Vaughan’s teachings, coming to consider him as a father figure too.
Shai’s younger brother, Thomasi, is also forging a path in basketball. He played at Evansvilleand Santa Monica Junior College before committing to Toronto Metropolitan University. Could the two siblings be on court soon?
Who is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s wife?
The 26-year-old’s wife, Hailey Summers, also shares his athletic background and hometown and reached the collegiate level whilst playing soccer for the University of Albany, starring in 71 matches over five seasons.
The couple, who were high school sweethearts, married on February 14, 2024, and welcomed their first child, Ares, in April that year; and during his NBA MVP acceptance speech, Gilgeous-Alexander credited Summers as a vital force in his life.
“Hailey Summers, thank you for everything you are for me,” Shai emotionally said. “For our son Ares… I wouldn’t be the man I am, I wouldn’t be the player I am, I wouldn’t be the father I am without you.”
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