Saturday, March 29, 2025
Brock's Only Independent Student Newspaper
One of the only worker-managed newspapers in Canada

Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines NBA All-Star starters 

|
|

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s sensational season continues with a trip to San Francisco on the horizon to compete in his third consecutive All-Star Game. 

The day after racking up a career-high 54 points in a win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 22, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard was announced as an NBA All-Star starter, becoming the first Canadian to start an All-Star Game in back-to-back seasons. 

The Hamilton native has followed up his 2023-24 MVP runner-up season with even better numbers this year, leading the league with 32.5 points per game and ranking second with 2.0 steals per game.  

The 26-year-old is also contributing with 6.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game as he’s one of only three players this season (alongside Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo) with double-digit games of 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists. 

Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar play has led the Thunder to first place in the league, having amassed a 39-9 record through 48 games this season. Oklahoma City is also first in net rating this season (12.6) with the Canadian’s play at both ends of the court being a big reason for their success. 

Fans, players and media alike have recognized Gilgeous-Alexander’s domination, as the 2023 FIBA World Cup bronze medalist received the seventh-most fan votes of all players (3.14 million), third-most player votes (158) and tied with the most media votes (95) for All-Star selection. Under the NBA’s All-Star selection format, fans make up 50 per cent of the All-Star starter voting block with players and media personnel each representing 25 per cent of the vote. 

Gilgeous-Alexander joins Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) as the two Western Conference starters in the backcourt while Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) make up the West frontcourt starter selections. 

The starters from the Eastern Conference include Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) — the leader in fan votes with 4.43 million — Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks). 

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will look different than it has in years past. Rather than a two-team 48-minute game format, which is the standard NBA game, the All-Star Game will be broken into a mini-tournament format featuring three games and four teams, with the winning team decided by the first to reach 40 points. 

The teams will consist of eight players with the rosters of each team drafted by NBA on TNT personnel: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. The fourth team will be the winning team from the NBA Rising Star Showcase — a highlight event featuring NBA rookies and sophomores as well as NBA G-League stars — which will occur on the Friday (Feb. 14) to kick off the NBA All-Star Weekend. 

NBA All-Star Friday also includes the Celebrity Game, with NBA All-Star Saturday being highlighted by the Skills Competition, Three-Point Contest and Dunk Contest. 

The celebratory weekend will conclude with the 74th edition of the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors. 

For more information about the NBA All-Star Weekend, visit nba.com. 

More by this author

RELATED ARTICLES

Watts scores a pair in Sceptres home win against Sirens 

Daryl Watts scored both of the Toronto Sceptres’ goals in their 2-1 victory against the New York Sirens on March 19 to inch closer to clinching a playoff berth. 

Badger Cole Tymkin signs with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers 

Cole Tymkin has gone pro after four seasons with the Brock Badgers men’s hockey team. 

Women’s volleyball: Four Badgers receive provincial honours, two earn national recognition 

Brock’s biggest volleyball stars were honoured on the OUA and U Sports stages. 

Ivanov, Oullette strike gold at U Sports Track & Field Championships 

Michael Ivanov and Rémi Ouellette made Brock track and field history at the U Sports Championships. 

Weinert named OUA Player of the Year and U Sports All-Canadian for second straight season 

Madalyn Weinert continues her domination of collegiate basketball with provincial and national recognition. 

NFL offseason heating up with flurry of moves 

Football season is still five months away, but the NFL is intercepting headlines with a busy week of transactions. 

Canadian players making an impact in the WNBA  

Canadian players are making serious waves in the WNBA, bringing international experience and talent to a league now thriving at the highest level. 

Trump’s remarks spark tensions in Canadian sports  

The impacts of politics on sports have become increasingly apparent, particularly in the context of recent events involving the United States and Canada.