Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named as an All-Star

In the last few minutes, it has been announced that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will head to the All-Star game for the very first time as a reserve. The news was broken on NBA on TNT.

Gilgeous-Alexander has played at an elite level this season and this is a just reward for all of his hard work so far. He was a fringe All-Star candidate two years ago but he now finally gets his opportunity to enjoy the festivities and bring his brand of smooth, funky basketball to a game in which the Thunder have a storied history.

In the last ten years, two Thunder players have won the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy. Kevin Durant took home the honours in 2012 with a cool 36 points. Russell Westbrook won the trophy in 2015 and then drained seven threes in Madison Square Garden to retain his crown in 2016.

Westbrook was incredibly close to winning the MVP trophy again in 2017 but Anthony Davis was named MVP in front of a raucous home crowd.

Gilgeous-Alexander is only the fifth All-Star in the Thunder’s history. He joins Chris Paul, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in what is an illustrious grouping.

SGA being named to the All-Star is reflective of his rise to prominence, people are finally starting to pay attention to the young Canadian who cannot be stopped in the half-court. As a fan, this feels like a huge deal for the Thunder and a major milestone in the rebuilding process. We now officially have an All-Star on the roster for the first time in four years.