NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker share brotherly bond, fierce rivalry

OKLAHOMA CITY – In the third quarter of the Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tried to drive right past his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Shai fell down, and the official called a foul on Nickeil.

A pained look of disbelief came across Nickeil’s face, and he pleaded with the Wolves bench to challenge the call. They did and won the challenge.

Two cousins trying to get the best of each other on a stage as large as the Western Conference finals. For Nickeil’s mother, Nicole, and her brother Vaughn (Shai’s father), it‘s a moment that went from dream to reality for them and their sons.

“There’s so much pride we have at this moment,” Nicole said.

Shai, who was named the NBA MVP on Wednesday, and Nickeil were born less than two months apart. They were so close throughout their lives, their bond was more fraternal than anything. Shai said recently Nickeil is like a “second brother” to him, along with his younger brother, Thomasi.

There were countless sleepovers with Shai, Nickeil and Thomasi, years going to school and playing on the same teams. To see them now facing each other, especially after the ups and down Nickeil has gone through in his career, is a moment to savor for their families, even if only one of them will move on to the finals.

“It‘s been like I’ve been on Cloud 9,” Vaughn said. “... We’ve just been so grateful and blessed. I’m just counting my blessings and thanking God. This is what we’ve seen and envisioned, and it‘s actually come to fruition.”

That moment in the third quarter was also indicative of other times Vaughn and Nicole witnessed as the boys grew up about 20 minutes apart near Toronto. Times when Nickeil and Shai would battle each other one-on-one or in pickup, when it was just them as a family working out together. Sweat equity, Canadian iron sharpening Canadian iron, and family getting the best out of each other.

The venue is no longer a park or a playground, now a brightly lit arena with close to 20,000 in-house and millions at home on TV hanging on their every move. But the attitude is the same as when nobody else was watching.

“If one got one over on the other, they’d both be upset, visibly upset,” Nicole said.

“Just imagine whoever loses wants to fight. Whoever wins wants to fight, too,” Vaughn said with a laugh. “It wasn’t easy, bro, and I loved it because that‘s who I was.”

Some cousins are close as they grow up, and others may not see each other for years. Shai and Nickeil were the former, with sleepovers being a frequent family activity. If they weren’t on the court, they were playing whatever video game systems their parents had to get for them at the moment.

During the week, if they were hanging out at each other’s houses, Shai usually had to call it a night before Nickeil. That‘s because Shai had a bedtime, and Nickeil didn’t, Nicole said. That competitiveness was how the boys let out a lot of their emotions. Other than that, they were pretty chill off the court.

“Nickeil was a lot calmer at that point. Shai was, too, but in a different capacity,” Nicole said. “Shai would just let things go … but they’d want to make sure none of them beat each other.

“They just wanted to be the best, and at the end of the day, they were friends.”

Their closeness in age meant they went through the same levels of competition and attended the same schools together.

“He’s been through every stage of life with me,” Shai said. “Picking up a basketball, to going to prep school, to making the NBA. We’ve gone through every situation together. For both of us to be where we are is special.”

They were closely rated as prospects all through their time playing hoops, and Nickeil said they dreamed of having kids talk about them one day in the same way they talked about the greats of the game they watched as kids.

“How we talked about LeBron, how we talked about Kobe, how we talked about Allen Iverson, there was always that debate on who’s the best,” Nickeil said. “We wanted that to be for us, we wanted guys growing up and kids coming in elementary school. Like, no, Shai’s the best. No, Nickeil’s the best.”

Shai also played soccer while Nickeil wanted to go into hockey, but Nicole steered him away from that. She also fostered a love of reading in Nickeil that he kept with him into his NBA days, and you could sometimes catch Nickeil reading books at his locker earlier in his Wolves tenure.

“We used to go to movies together. We used to go to dinner,” Nicole said. “I was very high on bringing them to big-time restaurants from early on. I was a little ridiculous.”

But basketball was serious business. Nicole had played while Vaughn said he made sure the boys, as good as they were, always took coaching without complaining.

“What are you guys doing? Talking about the ‘Transformers’ movie from last night? No, you can talk about that after practice. Listen to the coach,” Vaughn said. “Why is my dad so serious? Other parents don’t come on the court and say listen to the coach. No, we go to practice to get better. It‘s a hobby we like and love, but it‘s also work the way we’re doing it because it‘s something that can change their lives.”

Shai, who went to Kentucky, was the 11th pick of the draft by Charlotte in 2018; Nickeil (Virginia Tech) was 17th by New Orleans in 2019.

This is when their basketball and life directions took different paths.

Shai, traded on draft night to the Clippers, was dealt a year later to the Thunder, who gave him the keys to the franchise as they steadily rebuilt the franchise after dealing Paul George to the Clippers.

Nickeil didn’t have as smooth a path. He struggled to find an identity in New Orleans and then in Utah, where his family felt he wasn’t given the opportunities needed to succeed.

“It could’ve drowned him,” Nicole said. “But I’m incredibly proud of how he’s handled it. He’s always been mature beyond his years.”

There were moments of self-doubt, and Nickeil wondered if his career might be over while his cousin’s was flourishing. For Vaughn, these years were tough to take since he viewed Nickeil like one of his sons.

“Imagine that your cousin, who’s like your brother, is getting all the shine, but you’re just in a situation where you gotta do what you gotta do just to survive?” Vaughn said. “You don’t understand his struggle, and now he’s getting his shine when he could’ve been out of the league. Not because he couldn’t play but because he couldn’t get an opportunity.”

With his career teetering, he came to the Wolves, where he revamped as a successful three-and-D type of player. He’s now poised to earn the first big payday of his NBA career this offseason, when he will be an unrestricted free agent.

For some, there might have been resentment between cousins in Nickeil and Shai’s situation, but that never happened. Everyone was there to support Nickeil.

“That comes down to the person who Nickeil is, to him being so close to Shai and [Thomasi]; all we ever want is good for each other,” Vaughn said. “... There’s no jealousy, there’s no malice. It‘s just like, ‘Yo, Shai loves me. Shai wants me to succeed. So I feel that love back from him.’ ”

The family stays in close contact throughout the season via group text and FaceTime.

There’s certainly some trash-talking going on now.

“After Sunday, my mom had called me and she told me she texted his dad and said, ‘It‘s war now,’ ” Nickeil said before Game 1. “But it‘s all love at the end of the day.”

These days, Nickeil and Shai have children of their own, and fatherhood has helped them not get distracted by the trappings of fame and money. It‘s helped focus more on their families and their crafts. Perhaps this is one reason why Shai is now the MVP and Nickeil will be an in-demand free agent in the offseason.

“They’re less focused on external factors than before,” Nicole said. “Before, other things could sway them, but now they can compartmentalize, put things in perspective and go forward.”

That‘s how they’re approaching this series. It‘s something they dreamed about, and that perspective is important to keep in mind.

“I think 10 years from now, 20 years from now, I’ll be able to really appreciate the moment for what it was, what we were able to accomplish,” Nickeil said.

But that competitiveness is still there. As Nickeil said next, “At this point in time, the only thing I care about is making sure the Wolves have four wins.”

Shai wasn’t as diplomatic, and that competitive fire from all those one-on-one games growing up showed through when he ended a question about Nickeil by saying, “I am trying to take his head off.”

Nobody in the family would want it any other way.