DETROIT — Before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed reporters after dropping 27 points in a win against the Pistons on Wednesday, the young Thunder guard pulled a white Nike hockey jersey over his head.
It was a fitting choice for the flight to New York, where two of the faces of Canadian basketball — Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett of the Knicks — will meet Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Hockey will long dominate as Canada’s national sport, but Gilgeous-Alexander and Barrett represent a new era of basketball in The North. The young guards also happen to be close friends.