Toronto basketball fans have many reasons to tune in the finals of the NBA conference, although the Raptors season is very long.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, born in Toronto, and the best Ranke of Oklahoma City Thunder faces his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final of the West Conference.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s father, Vaughn Alexander, told CBC Toronto on Wednesday to see his son and nephew compete with each other in the NBA he feels “surreal.”
“Any man wins, I win,” said Alexander. “One of them will play in a NBA final.”
He trained Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker when they were children.
The two cousins, who were born with only two months apart, have been practicing sports together all their lives, which Alexander says he has helped create a competitive environment between the two.
“They will be hard with each other and have been doing this all their lives, but they know that at the end of the day, everything is love,” Alexander said.
He said that his son and his nephew have been best friends since they were children and played together on the same team until they separated for the university, when Gilgeous-Alexander began playing for the Wildcats of Kentucky, and Alexander-Walker for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Gilgous-Alexander was recruited by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft and his cousin was recruited by the Brooklyn Nets a year later.
Alexander says no matter who wins the series at the end of the day, because this is a situation of “win-win” for him.
“It’s a pretty good problem,” he said. “I can’t lose, right? I have two children in the finals of the West Conference.”
“I just want both to play well, be healthy and have a good series, and after that, I will celebrate in any way.”
When asked how he feels competing against his cousin, Gilgeous-Alexander said it is very special.
“It is literally like my second brother. It has gone through all the stages of life with me,” he told journalists in an interview after the game on Sunday.
The NBA stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are directed to Paris together with the Canada team. The couple sits with DWight Drummond of CBC to discuss how to grow in the GTA helped shape the players who are now and their epic battles.
“So that we are where we are special. Competing one against the other is even more special. But I am trying to take my head, surely,” said Gilgeous-Alxander.
On Tuesday night, the Thunder defeated the Timberwolves 114-88 in game 1 of the final of the best seven conference.
The two teams will meet again for game 2 Thursday night.
