CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander faced a choice this summer.
Would he accept the Canadian national team’s invitation to its FIBA World Cup training camp, or stay in the United States and prepare for the upcoming NBA season?
In the end, he chose the latter.
“It was a tough decision for me,” Gilgeous-Alexander told The Oklahoman. “I wanted to play, wanted to represent my country.”
Basketball pulled Gilgeous-Alexander away from his home country even before his NBA career began. He transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy for high school, moving from Ontario to Chattanooga, Tennessee.