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All smiles in sporting his Team Canada jersey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the chance to suit up for his home country for the first time in a couple of summers. The 27-year-old has required little time to say yes to those opportunities over the years.
Most of Gilgeous-Alexander's all-time great lore has been written about the Oklahoma City Thunder. After all, he's ascended into a two-time MVP and an NBA champion there. He graduated from an intriguing prospect to a walking 30-point machine in Paycom Center.
Within Gilgeous-Alexander's growing basketball novel, though, there are a few chapters about his time in Canada. He's ushered in a golden era for the country's basketball program. He helped them bring home bronze in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and fifth place in the 2024 Olympics — both historic finishes for them.
Still at the peak of his basketball powers, Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into one of Canada's most well-known professional athletes. To most, he's already snatched Steve Nash's crown for best Canadian player in NBA history. Because of that — along with his evergreen affinity for his hometown — Toronto Raptors fans have circled him as their dream target for nearly a decade.
Whenever Gilgeous-Alexander utters positive comments about Toronto or the Raptors, social media is filled with reactions from their fanbase — some say he's coming home, others boldly proclaim it's an open secret he'll eventually play there and the rest simply use the eyeballs emoji.
Predictably, it happened once again when Gilgeous-Alexander suited up for two of Canada's 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifier games. He led them to easy-peasy wins over Puerto Rico and Jamaica. They likely didn't need him to play to secure wins, but playing in front of his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, with a court decked out in his logo was too rich to pass up.
His participation brought up the age-old question: Could Canada's MJ ever return home to be the face of their NBA franchise? Ehhh. I wouldn't hold my breath.
Even though the 'NBA superstar plays for his childhood team' trope has been written out for eons, it's rarely happened. Remember when Stephen Curry was supposed to join the Charlotte Hornets? What about when Kevin Durant was going to eventually land on the Washington Wizards?
In the few exceptions when it does happen, there's solid reasoning behind it. Of course, LeBron James' return to the Cleveland Cavaliers is the poster child for this dream scenario. But let's not forget he already had seven years under his belt there as the No. 1 pick of the 2003 NBA draft.
Raptors fans have drooled over the Gilgeous-Alexander scenario for years. Talks first sparked up in 2021. When it was obvious he was going to be a standout player — maybe not a two-time MVP winner, per se — but somebody worth the trouble of recruiting.
But I feel like if the Raptors were going to acquire Gilgeous-Alexander, it would've happened already. Toronto's best shot was when the Thunder were in the infancy stages of a short rebuild in 2021-23. Theoretically, they could've backed up the Brinks trucks filled with draft currency to overwhelm OKC.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander skyrocketed past his peers. He helped turn the Thunder around at a rapid speed. In just three years, OKC went from losing in the play-in tournament to hoisting up a Larry O'Brien trophy. Now, his competition is all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Curry — not Jalen Green, Cade Cunningham or Talen Horton-Tucker.
Gilgeous-Alexander is on a quest to being a hoops pantheon. And what do most in that prestigious club have in common? They're synonymous with one NBA franchise. He's tied to the hip with the Thunder — and for the better, too. OKC has surrounded him with two All-NBA teammates and rich depth. It's resulted in one NBA championship and a trophy case filled to the brim with individual accolades. He'll continue to add more.
Everything in OKC revolves around Gilgeous-Alexander. He's equipped with two of the sharpest basketball minds in their respective fields in Mark Daigneault and Sam Presti. You just don't walk away from that for some sorta cheap, made-for-TV Disney plot of coming back home. And considering he freely signed a supermax contract extension this past summer that keeps him in OKC through the 2030-31 season — when he'll be 32 years old and at the tail end of his prime — it's easy to assume he believes the same.
In other words, Gilgeous-Alexander believes his best shot at being on top of the NBA throne is on the Thunder. The receipts back it up, too. They've had two straight 60-plus win seasons. They've won one NBA championship already. And could argue they were some better health luck away from going back-to-back.
So yeah, sorry Raptors fans. Barring something unforeseen, Gilgeous-Alexander will stay on the Thunder to chase basketball glory. The window to get him has long passed. It's cool to see him be so proud of his roots by always suiting up for Canada when given the chance, but just leave your thoughts there. Don't start daydreaming.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Sorry Raptors fans, your Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dream went extinct a long time ago
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