Everyone knows Nickeil Alexander Walker’s identity as the Minnesota Timberwolves reserve guard. The 26-year-old star comes off the bench and showcases his prowess as a two-way guard alongside Naz Reid. At the same time, Walker has another identity. It’s something to do with the OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In this article, let’s explore how the Wolves guard is related to the MVP-caliber star from Canada.

Before that, let’s take a quick detour of Walker’s exploits this fresh season. Heading into the season, the Wolves had a massive yet small change to their roster. They replaced Karl-Anthony Towns with Julius Randle. Other than that, there isn’t much change, but it has certainly impacted the team’s rhythm compared to the last season. While the team battled for the top seed last year now, they barely float above playoff contention.

Meanwhile, Walker has had a career-high season, making his presence felt on both ends of the court. 23 games into the season, the star guard has averaged 9.7 points per game with a career-high shooting percentage of 51.6% FG and 46% from the deep. Speaking of defense, he has already made a name for himself with his coast-to-coast defense attack. Now that we know Nickeil Alexander-Walker is amidst the best season of his career yet, let’s explore his relationship with SGA.

How is Nickeil Alexander-Walker related to Shai Gilgeous Alexander? 

The Canadian ballers are cousins and they have been hooping together since childhood. The duo entered the world with only  50-odd days separating their birthdays, SGA being the eldest, born on July 12, 1998, and Walker on September 2. However, Nick joined the league a season after the Thunder superstar. Speaking at the 2019 NBA Draft where the Brooklyn Nets selected Nick with the 17th pick and later traded him to the Pels, Shai poured his heart out, calling the moment a “blessing”.

Moreover, he also added, “We worked for it our whole life… We knew, as early as I can remember that we’d both make it and we’re here today and we still have more to prove.” Even though they were cousins, the duo spent most of their childhood together, even sleeping in the same bed. Above all, Shai’s father, Vaughn Alexander, who is also a maternal uncle to Nickeil, served as a father figure to the Wolves guard.

Nickiel, speaking of his time with Vaughn, said, “I’m really fortunate to have him in my life growing up… Having him around and having Shai and his little brother around made me feel almost as if I was one of them.” And without any doubt, these two cousins fed off each other’s balling skills from childhood. Poetically, the duo dominates opposite ends on the floor. While Shai doesn’t miss a mid-range jumper easily, Nickiel doesn’t let anyone score easily against his lockdown defense.

Above all, we have an interesting trivia to offer you. Who do you think won most of the one-on-one between the cousin duo? It was Nickeil Alexander-Walker, as claimed by the Wolves guard himself via The Oklahoman. However, looking at the career stat line, who do you think would’ve won the battle?

Have Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Shai Gilgeous Alexander played on the same team?

After playing a season for the Clippers, Shai has stamped his place at Oklahoma for the years to come. Meanwhile, Nickeil has played for three franchises, so far: the Pelicans, the Jazz, and the Wolves. Looking at how things are proceeding, Walker might find himself in the Wolves jersey for the years to come. Nevertheless, the duo hasn’t played together in the NBA. But they have played together in the international forum, representing their country, Canada.

Once the brothers teamed up after a dramatic event in the NBA. During the 2023 Play-In tournament, Nick’s Wolves kicked out Shai’s Thunder from the playoff contention. Next up, the brothers meet up for the FIBA WC in the Summer. The reporters picked up the line and asked SGA about playing alongside his brother right after he lost to him. Shai said, “It’s always fun to play with him. I grew up playing with him. [This] is a dream come true… Not a lot of people continue to get to play with their family. And hopefully, that happens a lot of times in our career.”

The Canadian side indeed had a successful outing that summer. They went on to win the Bronze medal, defeating Team USA. Undoubtedly, Shai led the team’s offense, averaging 24.5 points, and 6.4 assists per game. Meanwhile, Nickeil did what he does best, locking down the opponent in the defensive end, producing 9.4 points and 1.0 steals per game.

However, the duo again competed together in the Paris Olympics. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t win any medals this time, as the team didn’t go past the league stage. While Nick didn’t make much impact the summer, Shai once again led the team, averaging 21.0 ppg.

What do you think? Will the cousin brothers team up in the NBA as well going forward? The Thunder might fancy a lockdown defender in their young roster. Let us know in the comments below.