Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been unstoppable on the hardwood. After leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first NBA championship in more than four decades, the 27-year-old picked up both Finals MVP and league MVP honors, completing a dream 2024-25 season. The basketball world is his – but when it comes to football, he wants no part of it.
During a sit-down on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Gilgeous-Alexander fielded a playful question about switching careers to the NFL. His answer was immediate and absolute.
“No chance, no chance,” he told Fallon, laughing. “I wouldn’t disrespect them like that, nah. Just like how they can’t come on the basketball court, I can’t go on the football field. Just stay in our lanes.”
The Running Back Days Didn’t Last Long
For Gilgeous-Alexander, the topic wasn’t totally foreign. He admitted he strapped on pads as a kid in Hamilton, Ontario. The position? Running back. The experience? Short-lived.
“I quit very quickly,” he said. “I played running back, so I got hit a lot. And I, like, fell on the ball when I got tackled a couple times. I didn’t like that at all, so I quit right away.”
Fallon upped the comedy by flashing a throwback photo of young Shai in full football gear. The Thunder guard could only laugh and beg the host not to show it to the crowd again.
A Champion Gets a CFL Homecoming
Even if the NFL isn’t in his future, Gilgeous-Alexander got a brush with football glory this past summer. Just weeks after hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, he was honored at a Hamilton Tiger-Cats game in his hometown, where he started the second quarter of a CFL matchup against the B.C. Lions.
When asked by local reporters what position he’d play if forced into a football game, he jokingly pointed to quarterback – the one spot where you might avoid big hits. Still, his message was clear: basketball is where he belongs.
Eyes on a Repeat Run
Back in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander is shifting gears to the new season. After torching the Boston Celtics in the Finals – averaging nearly 33 points a game, according to ESPN – he and the Thunder are aiming to prove their title run was no fluke. With a young, talented roster around him, the reigning MVP knows expectations are higher than ever.
But when it comes to life beyond the NBA, Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t interested in hypothetical crossovers. His path is already set – one built on dominance, not detours.
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