Weeks after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander announces he will be a dad, cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker reveals date of his firstborn
Weeks after his cousin and two-time NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he was going to be a father, Minnesota Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker too, shared that he is heading for parenthood.
The six-year shooting guard out of Virginia Tech took to Instagram and shared a series of photos with his wife Sara Alexander Walker while revealing the due date of their firstborn.
The caption reads:
04/09/24🖤
The announcement came weeks after his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said he and his girlfriend Hail Summers would welcome their first child this year.
Both Alexander-Walker and "SGA" are steadily building solid careers in the NBA.
"SGA" recently played in his second All-Star Game and is currently in the conversation for the MVP award this season, averaging 31.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 34.5 minutes for the second-running OKC Thunder (41-17) in the Western Conference.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, meanwhile, plays off the bench for the Timberwolves (42-17) and had been posting numbers of 7.1 ppg, 2.6 apg and 2.0 rpg in 23 minutes.
Both were part of the Canadian national team which defeated Team USA in the battle for the bronze medal in last year’s FIBA World Cup to earn a spot in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker says reading helped in his transition in Minnesota
When Nickeil Alexander-Walker was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves from the Utah Jazz midway into last season, he felt some reservations as he did not know what to expect. Reading, however, proved to be a big help for him in settling in with his new team.
The former Virginia Hokie was sent to the Timberwolves along with veteran Mike Conley in a three-team deal with the Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers.
In an interview with the Star Tribune, he admitted that he was terrified, as he was not sure how things would pan out for him with the Timberwolves, especially since was playing limited minutes in Utah.
But through reading, along with putting in the work to prove his worth as a player, he was able to calm himself and integrate himself with his new team.
The 25-year-old said:
"I was terrified. If I'm one in a million to make it here, what makes me so different that I get to stay here? I realized I was more at peace [when I read]. I realized that reading gave me more of a calm state and allowed me to be present."
Alexander-Walker was selected No. 17 in the 2019 NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets. His rights, however, were traded to the Atlanta Hawks, who, in turn, traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans.
He played three seasons with the Pelicans before he was traded to the Jazz midway into the 2021-22 season.
"NAW" currently has career averages of 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 276 games.