Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's timeline of his rise to the NBA's mountaintop
Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cuts down the net after the Wildcats defeated Tennessee 77-72 in an NCAA college basketball championship game at the Southeastern Conference tournament on March 11, 2018, in St. Louis. Jeff Roberson / AP file photo
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The Province
a day ago
- The Province
Canada's NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checks in as bull of the week
Tom Mayenknecht: Losers are sports fans, who now suffer a dearth of events with NHL and NBA going dark. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Photo by Maddie Meyer / Getty Images It's been quite the week for the US$1.4 billion Florida Panthers of the NHL and the US$3.65 billion Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA; the respective Stanley Cup and Larry O'Brien Trophy winners as champions of pro hockey and pro basketball after the two leagues went shoulder-to-shoulder for 10 weeks of playoffs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Yet no one has had a bigger week — or a bigger year — than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Hamilton. He's NBA MVP, NBA scoring leader, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP. He's one of only four NBA stars to have ever accomplished that feat. And he's certainly the first Canadian to pull off two or more of those milestones and he's done it in a year that will go down as one of the most dominant and consistent in NBA history. Most impressive of all, he's done it as the smiling leader of his Thunder, a thoughtful and articulate spokesman for the game and as a poster child for sportsmanship. He's the bull of the week because, at age 26, he's only getting started on a journey that is on a trajectory to make him one of the most influential athletes in all of pro sport. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The downside to such shoulder-to-shoulder playoffs in the NHL and the NBA is the stark withdrawal symptoms experienced by fans when both leagues end their post-season showcases within a week of each other. We go from game action almost every night — with two best-of-seven series going six and seven games in the case of this year — to a glut in the prime-time TV landscape. It's a shock to the systems of fans, broadcasters, sports-talk radio hosts, sports anchors and industry stakeholders ranging from merchandisers and licensees to sports bars and betting houses. On that note, in terms of sheer TV content and audience reach, the power of fantasy and football wagering makes for one heck of a hangover the day after the Super Bowl. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And yes, it's hard to describe the impact of a pause on a US$20 million business and its related industries in the hours after more than 120 million people have watched the big game. Yet in terms of scope of membership — in this case making up the community of 62 sport franchises in the NHL and the NBA — there's no greater drop off in volume of game action than this week. The good news for hard core fans is that both leagues do the draft thing this week to kick off the hockey and basketball off-seasons. In especially the case of the Association, everyone seems to be an armchair general manager when it comes to the free agency that takes us well into July. There is certainly no substantive decline in social-media attention for the NBA as its fans wait for the next contending team to be created a la Kevin Durant earlier this week. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. With the NHL and the NBA swinging into their three-month off-seasons this week, only two of the five major North American men's leagues (Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer) are in play alongside two of the four prime women's leagues (WNBA and NWSL, with the Northern Super League now operating in Canada). It'll stay that way until the first Thursday after Labour Day weekend when the juggernaut that is the NFL leaps into regular-season action, with the NHL and the NBA launching their new schedules about one month later. The last two weeks of October are the only two weeks of the year when all five major North American men's leagues are in action simultaneously. Yet make no mistake: The lull you've felt this week in and around the championship parades that celebrated the second consecutive Cup win by the Panthers and the first Oklahoma City championship in the post-Seattle era is real. A total of US$18.6 billion in annual revenue generation — US$12 billion in the NBA and US$6.6 billion in the NHL — came to an end this week, only to see the cycle start again with the drafts and free agency. That will lead to some dog days of summer when it comes to sport programming content. Tom Mayenknecht is the host of The Sport Market on Sportsnet 650 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Vancouver-based sport business commentator and principal in Emblematica Brand Builders provides a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans. Follow Mayenknecht at: Read More Vancouver Canucks NHL Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Alouettes aren't the same team without injured QB Davis Alexander
The Alouettes better hope Davis Alexander, their 26-year-old starting quarterback, is a quick healer. They're simply not the same team without him. Article content And unless Alexander recovers quickly from the hamstring injury he suffered June 19 at Edmonton, this team is in serious trouble. Article content Through one game, at least, McLeod Bethel-Thompson isn't the answer, despite everything he has accomplished in his career. As good and as accurate as the 36-year-old was in practice during the week, he was unable to duplicate any of that against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' swarming defence on Friday night. Article content Article content The Alouettes suffered their first loss of the season and were badly outplayed in this ugly 35-17 setback before 20,911 Hamilton Stadium spectators. Article content Article content Perhaps it was the effects of three successive road games catching up to Montreal? But, more than likely, it was the absence of Alexander that derailed a team that started the season with a 3-0 record. The Ticats, coming off a bye in the schedule, won for the first time in three games — and exposed the visitors in the process. Article content The Als, who entered this contest having scored a CFL-leading 105 points, failed to penetrate Hamilton's end zone for more than 55 minutes until completing an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Cole Spieker. Article content Until that point, Montreal's scoring consisted of three Jose Maltos field goals and a Joseph Zema punt single. Bethel-Thompson and the Alouettes couldn't score a touchdown despite scrimmaging from the Hamilton 4 in the third quarter. Article content Article content There was no chemistry between Bethel-Thompson and his receivers. Tyson Philpot, who should have been counted on heavily because of the absence of injured Austin Mack, didn't make his first catch until just before halftime. Indeed, that was the first time Bethel-Thompson attempted a pass to him. Article content Spieker was Montreal's leading receiver, with six receptions for 57 yards. Tyler Snead also had six catches, producing 55 yards. Charleston Rambo, arguably the Als' most-dangerous deep threat, had five receptions for 49 yards, while Philpot had four catches for 41 yards. Article content Montreal's longest passing play was 17 yards — a feat accomplished three times, by Spieker, Snead and Philpot. Article content When the Alouettes decided Alexander was their quarterback of the future, they traded Cody Fajardo to Edmonton last winter for Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion who has passed for more than 17,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career.
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Alouettes aren't the same team without injured QB Davis Alexander
The Alouettes better hope Davis Alexander, their 26-year-old starting quarterback, is a quick healer. They're simply not the same team without him. And unless Alexander recovers quickly from the hamstring injury he suffered June 19 at Edmonton, this team is in serious trouble. Through one game, at least, McLeod Bethel-Thompson isn't the answer, despite everything he has accomplished in his career. As good and as accurate as the 36-year-old was in practice during the week, he was unable to duplicate any of that against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' swarming defence on Friday night. The Alouettes suffered their first loss of the season and were badly outplayed in this ugly 35-17 setback before 20,911 Hamilton Stadium spectators. Perhaps it was the effects of three successive road games catching up to Montreal? But, more than likely, it was the absence of Alexander that derailed a team that started the season with a 3-0 record. The Ticats, coming off a bye in the schedule, won for the first time in three games — and exposed the visitors in the process. The Als, who entered this contest having scored a CFL-leading 105 points, failed to penetrate Hamilton's end zone for more than 55 minutes until completing an eight-play, 64-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Cole Spieker. Until that point, Montreal's scoring consisted of three Jose Maltos field goals and a Joseph Zema punt single. Bethel-Thompson and the Alouettes couldn't score a touchdown despite scrimmaging from the Hamilton 4 in the third quarter. There was no chemistry between Bethel-Thompson and his receivers. Tyson Philpot, who should have been counted on heavily because of the absence of injured Austin Mack, didn't make his first catch until just before halftime. Indeed, that was the first time Bethel-Thompson attempted a pass to him. Spieker was Montreal's leading receiver, with six receptions for 57 yards. Tyler Snead also had six catches, producing 55 yards. Charleston Rambo, arguably the Als' most-dangerous deep threat, had five receptions for 49 yards, while Philpot had four catches for 41 yards. Montreal's longest passing play was 17 yards — a feat accomplished three times, by Spieker, Snead and Philpot. When the Alouettes decided Alexander was their quarterback of the future, they traded Cody Fajardo to Edmonton last winter for Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion who has passed for more than 17,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career. Bethel-Thompson, making his first start for Montreal, completed 24 of 41 passes for 203 yards, but also proved to be his own worst enemy and was intercepted twice. Granted, he could be excused for one of the turnovers. A third quarter attempt deflected off rookie tailback Travis Theis and into the hands of rookie Canadian middle-linebacker Devin Veresuk. Veresuk, selected second overall in this year's Canadian college draft, returned the ball 36 yards for a touchdown. Incredibly, the Alouettes trailed only by eight points following Spieker's touchdown and a defensive stop. But with 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter and Montreal scrimmaging from inside its 10, Bethel-Thompson fumbled Justin Lawrence's snap — one that was slightly off centre, but one he, nonetheless, got his hands on. The ball was recovered in the end zone by Hamilton's Julian Howsare, which put the game out of reach. For the first time this season, the play selection of head coach Jason Maas was bizarre to say the least. Although the Ticats had allowed a league-high average of 145.5 yards rushing, Maas called only 10 running plays — three each by Bethel-Thompson and short-yardage quarterback Caleb Evans. Sean Thomas-Erlington had two carries. Theis and Stevie Scott III each had one. Theis's one carry in the third quarter produced an 11-yard gain, yet he never was utilized again. It made no sense. 'We, as a team, didn't perform well enough to win a game in all three phases,' Maas said in Hamilton. 'It's not a one-person game. But I'm sure there's things (Bethel-Thompson) would like to execute better.' It was a contest that screamed for the Als' defence to make a play. And while they tried valiantly, they couldn't produce a game-defining moment. They did create a turnover on downs on Hamilton's opening possession. And the Ticats required three plays from the Montreal 1 before Kenny Lawler scored on a pass from Bo Levi Mitchell before halftime. Safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy had Montreal's only sack, while linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku forced and recovered a Jevoni Robinson fumble in the first quarter. But more was required. 'We gave up the two turnovers for touchdowns, which didn't help us on the scoreboard,' Maas said in Hamilton. 'Our defence wasn't on the field for those. We need to do a better job protecting the ball and not giving up those plays, allow our defence to play the way they're accustomed to playing.' The Alouettes were threatening to run away with the East Division, but now could be pressured for first place should the Redblacks win at home against Toronto on Sunday night, putting Ottawa only two points behind Montreal. This story was originally published June 28, 2025 at 12:14 AM.
