‘I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton’: NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks at rally held in his hometown

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, point guard for the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and 2024-25 NBA most valuable player, holds up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during a ceremony in Hamilton, Ont., Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.

NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is being celebrated by his hometown of Hamilton today.

“Shai Rally Day” is a free, public event that Hamiltonians of all ages can attend, to celebrate Gilgeous-Alexander’s banner year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star won the NBA championship in June on the heels of a season that also earned him a scoring title and an MVP award.

The rally at Hamilton Stadium saw Mayor Andrea Horwath present Gilgeous-Alexander with the key to the city.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to bring Shai Rally Day to Hamilton,” Horwath said in a media release when the event was first announced last month. “As part of this celebration, I am proud to be presenting Shai with the Key to the City, the first such honour bestowed by a Mayor of Hamilton since 1998. It’s a symbolic gesture of the deep pride and admiration Hamilton holds for one of its own.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s also referred to as SGA by fans, has been around the GTA with the Larry O’Brien trophy this week.

He visited SickKids Hospital on Wednesday and co-hosted a “basketball-themed bingo session” on a show broadcast throughout the building in each patient room.

Here’s a recap of what happened during the rally:

5:30 p.m. - SGA gets a hammer plaque

In a post-rally news conference, Mayor Horwath presented SGA with a plaque in which a hammer is etched.

“It’s a hammer for the hammer,” the mayor said, referring to the city’s nickname. “That’s just a token for you to keep as well in appreciation of you taking the time to come to Hamilton and let us celebrate you. I appreciate it so much.”

SGA said he teared up a bit seeing the crowd who came out for his rally.

“I’ve been on that field in various amount of ways growing up, and for me to be on it and in that fashion was special, full-circle moment,” he said, adding that he appreciates the support he gets from Hamiltonians.

“I just try to soak up all the moments. At some point in my life, I’m going to wish I had this moment back to soak up and remember and sit in so I try to take advantage of them as best as I can.”

He also shared that he will also cherish the memories he made during his visit to Toronto’s SickKids Hospital on Wednesday.

“I’m glad that I could go and just kind of just be a bright spot in their day, give them something to look forward to,” SGA said.

“All those things like the trophy, the medals, and the awards, those don’t go with you when you pass. The memories and the things that you leave behind, and your legacy stays forever and those types of things will be remembered long, long after I’m gone. So those are the things that I cherish the most.”

4:37 p.m. - Gilgeous-Alexander shouts out Mohawk Road

“Mohawk, the street that my childhood revolved around,” SGA told the crowd when reminiscing on where he grew up.

“From practices, to Tim Horton runs, to playing pickup basketball outside, to my high school Sir Allan MacNab, to church and everything else. Mohawk (Road) was everything to me.”

“I’ve always been so proud to be from this city, and it means the world to know that I am someone that the city is proud of.”

4:33 p.m. - ‘The support is always felt’: SGA speaks to the crowd

The NBA MVP then took the mic to address the audience.

“The support is always felt, even though I’m halfway across the world,” Gilgeous-Alexander told the crowd.

He then went on to explain that when he started coming up in his basketball journey, he didn’t tell people he was from Toronto like his friends because they didn’t want to explain “what and where Hamilton was on a map.”

“I took pride in letting everyone know I was from Hamilton. It’s almost like I liked explaining that I was from a city over an hour away from Toronto. I liked telling them what Steel City meant to me.”

“It instilled a pride and joy in me. Hamilton is different from every other city in Ontario. Hamiltonians carry a different sense of grit, determination, pride, and energy than the rest of the province. And honestly, I couldn’t shy away from that. I carry that with me every day and everywhere I go,” he continued.

Gilgeous-Alexander said he was “overwhelmed with joy” when he found out he was getting a key to the city and a street named after him.

4:30 p.m. - Gilgeous-Alexander presented with the key to the city

The mayor brought several city councillors onto the stage to help her present SGA with the key to the city.

4:25 p.m. - Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath speaks on stage

“The second I heard the news I said, ‘We’re throwing the biggest celebration Hamilton has ever seen for Shai,’” Horwath said at the start of her speech.

“Shai you’ve inspired, not just Hamilton, not just Canada, but fans all around the world, and you’ve done it with humility, with heart, and an unwavering connection to the city you call home.”

Horwath then brought David Kouadio to the stage, a grade 10 student and provincial champion playing for Polaris Prep in Burlington, Ont.

“He’s not just an inspiration for me, but for the young athletes trying to make it to the NBA, trying to achieve their goals,” said Kouadio.

She then presented Gilgeous-Alexander with a golden basketball from Ron Foxcroft—developer of the Foxcroft 40 whistle—and a commemorative ‘Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Way’ street sign.

4:22 p.m. - Fans thank SGA

A video produced by Tourism Hamilton played featuring local Hamiltonians ‘thanking’ SGA for his accomplishments and for inspiring the city.

4:17 p.m. - Canada Basketball GM speaks

Rowan Barrett, General Manager of Canada Basketball, was the first speaker to take the stage.

“Many athletes would be considered a great player having achieved just one of Shai’s aforementioned accolades,” Barrett said in his remarks.

“But to do them all, with calmness under pressure, leadership in every sense of the word, is a beautiful thing to behold.”

Barrett commented on Gilgeous-Alexander’s pride for both Hamilton and Canada, and spoke of his Olympic run with the team at the 2024 Paris summer games.

“We have one of the greatest athletes to ever come from Canada sitting with us today. I believe Shai will eventually receive the Order of Canada and go down as one of the greatest Canadians to ever walk this land,” Barrett added.

4:15 p.m. - Gilgeous-Alexander arrives on stage

Gilgeous-Alexander walked on stage to the tune of the Drake song ‘Trophies’ while carrying the Larry O’Brien trophy and wearing a Ticats inspired jersey.

4 p.m. - Special tribute video featuring friends and former coaches

A video featuring some of SGA’s friends, including barber Moe Harb, and some of his former St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School and Sir Allan MacNab Secondary coaches was played at the start of the ceremony.

The video continued to chronicle his career throughout the NBA as well as his time on Team Canada, and featured fans and young basketball players.

3:15 p.m. - ‘Out of this world’: Hamilton Ticat praises SGA

Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats player Simoni Lawrence is hosting today’s rally, and says they city needs role models like Gilgeous-Alexander.

“I think it’s amazing to be an NBA player and then go and do what every single basketball player wants to do,” Lawrence told CP24 on the field at Hamilton Stadium. “To get the MVP and win the championship is amazing. It’s out of this world. And the cool thing about that is he used his light and came and shined it on Hamilton.”

“A city like this needs role models, and for SGA to come back to Hamilton and show them what is possible when you put your mind in something is absolutely amazing.”

2 p.m. - Fans already beginning to gather

Fans began showing up to the courtyard of Hamilton Stadium in the early afternoon, many excited that an NBA champion grew up right in their backyards.

“Just knowing he’s from where we’re raised, it’s pretty inspiring that he could come back from not even making it to his high school team, and then making it to the NBA and being one of the best... it’s inspiring,” one young fan told CP24.

“How did you get so good?” another fan said he would ask SGA if he got the chance to meet him. “He’s always calm and composed, and he’s a really good basketball player, and he’s from Hamilton.

“He’s the best basketball player, and he’s my favourite,” said a third.

In last month’s media release, Gilgeous-Alexander said, “Hamilton is the city where I grew up, and it shaped the most pivotal years of my life. It laid the foundation not only for who I am as a basketball player, but for the man I’ve become. I wouldn’t be who I am today without this city, and I’m deeply grateful for the continued love and support.”

Following the rally, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will take on the BC Lions at 7:30 p.m., where SGA will be honoured a second time during an in-game tribute.