Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete
NBA star helped Canada qualify for Olympics at FIBA World Cup.
Basketball player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the winner of the 2023 Northern Star Award on Monday, voted Canada's top athlete of the year by members of the media.
The 25-year-old is the second basketball player to win the award, after Steve Nash did so in 2005 after winning the NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2004-05 season.
Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada to the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup this summer, where the men’s national team qualified for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. He averaged 24.5 points and 6.4 assists across Canada’s eight matches, and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team after Canada defeated the United States to reach the podium.
In the 2022/23 campaign, he also had arguably the best season by a Canadian NBA player since Nash’s two MVP seasons. SGA finished fourth in league scoring, averaging 31.4 points per game as he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a spot in the play-in games for the playoff.
He placed fifth in NBA MVP voting, second for the Most Improved Player, and was part of the All-NBA First Team alongside fellow stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić, and Jayson Tatum.
His 2023/24 season in the NBA is also off to a good start, currently sixth in NBA scoring with an average of 30.5 points per game. With him at the forefront, the Thunder are flying high, sitting second in the Western Conference standings, three games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Northern Star Award has been handed out annually since 1936. Last year’s winner was hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin after leading Canada to a gold medal at the Beijijng 2022 Winter Olympics.
The other finalists for 2023 award voting were NHL MVP Connor McDavid, rising swimming superstar Summer McIntosh, hammer throw world champion Camryn Rogers, and golfer Nick Taylor.
Thank you for reading this post on True North. To be the first person to read future posts, and listen to new podcast episodes, subscribe for free using the button below, or share the article with someone you know.