Of all of the NBA players who were invited to Chicago for All-Star Weekend, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was likely one of the last to arrive following the Thunder’s road win in New Orleans on Thursday night. He was also the first player in Chicago to touch a basketball.
Striding onto the floor at Wintrust Arena, Gilgeous-Alexander was a few steps ahead of his fellow 2020 Rising Stars teammates on the World squad as they assembled for practice early on Friday morning. Donning a black jersey with white lettering, a black long sleeve undershirt and black leggings under black shorts, he snagged a basketball, dribbled up-court and launched a shot before giving fellow Canadian and NBA legend Steve Nash a massive hug.