Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives key to city in hometown of Hamilton, Ontario

The Year of SGA doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adding to the seemingly endless list of accolades that includes league MVP honors and a world championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

His latest, though, hits close to home.

The former Kentucky guard was invited back to Hamilton, Ontario to receive the key to the city from Mayor Andrea Horwath at a rally dedicated to the hometown hero. Surrounded by friends, family, loved ones and fans, Horwath also announced a local street will be named after Gilgeous-Alexander to honor his accomplishments.

In return, SGA raised OKC’s title trophy over his head as he soaked in the homecoming celebration, letting them know he does it all for Hamilton.

“Growing up, as I traveled across the world, to countless states, cities and countries, people always asked where I was from. I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton,” he told the crowd. “… It’s special. I love this city, everything it’s meant for me. It made me, to be honest. To know that it appreciates me as much as I appreciate it, it’s special.”

Gilgeous-Alexander was named the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player, First Team All-NBA, an NBA All-Star, NBA Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP in a year that saw him win the scoring title and a world championship against the Indiana Pacers.

He was honored during a CFL game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the B.C. Lions on Shai Rally Day.

“Early on, I had my shades on so you couldn’t see me tearing up a little bit, but it was very special,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve been on that field in various amount of ways growing up, and for me to be on it in that fashion was special. It’s a full-circle moment. All of it kind of feels like that when I come back home.

“Not a lot of people know about this city, but the support I feel, no matter where I am in the world, is special. I’m appreciative of that at all times.”

10,000 residents and supporters showed up to celebrate with Gilgeous-Alexander as he received his key to the city and a street named after him in Hamilton: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Way.

“It’s a very proud day for Hamilton,” Mayor Horwath said. “We’re all very proud of Shai and we stand in awe of his achievements. I think we’re all on cloud nine here in the Hammer today. What it means for Hamilton is — I think that’s something we all know, which is we have a lot of greatness in this city.”

SGA visits SickKids Hospital in Toronto

The former Wildcat used his time back home to get out in the community, heading to the SickKids Hospital in Toronto to hang out with young patients in hopes of brightening their day.

“I just wanted to give the kids an experience for them to look forward to,” he said. “Things they go through, I couldn’t even imagine. For me to be a bright spot in their day, it’s the least I could do.”

SGA actually said his brother was a patient there when he was younger, so the hospital hits close to home.

“It’s what you do everything for.”

Gilgeous-Alexander was named the cover athlete for NBA 2K26, signed a historic contract extension that pays him more per season than anyone has ever seen in the NBA and also released his first signature shoe as the face of Converse. On the court, SGA led the NBA in scoring with 72 consecutive games of 20-point performances while also leading the league in 20-point games (75), 30-point games (49), 40-point games (13) and 50-point games (4). He averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 34.2 minutes per contest and 76 games overall.

No one is having a better year than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.