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Nickeil Alexander-Walker

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Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Alexander-Walker with Canada in 2023
No. 9 – Minnesota Timberwolves
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-09-02) September 2, 1998 (age 26)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeVirginia Tech (2017–2019)
NBA draft2019: 1st round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2022New Orleans Pelicans
2020→Erie BayHawks
2022–2023Utah Jazz
2023–presentMinnesota Timberwolves
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Philippines–Japan–Indonesia
FIBA Americas U18 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2016 Chile Team

Nickeil Alexander-Walker (/nɪˈkiːl/ nih-KEEL;[1] born September 2, 1998) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. A shooting guard, he was drafted 17th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA draft but was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

High school career

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A native of Toronto, Alexander-Walker played for Vaughan Secondary School, St. Louis Christian Academy, and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy.[2] At Hamilton Heights, he was a teammate of his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The two have a close relationship and shared a room at coach Zach Ferrell's house.[3] He was ranked the No. 74 prospect in the class of 2017 according to Scout.com.[2]

College career

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Alexander-Walker committed to Virginia Tech in May 2016, over offers from USC and Maryland. As a freshman for the Hokies, Alexander-Walker averaged 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.[4] In his second game in college, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 132–93 win over The Citadel.[5] He helped lead Virginia Tech to a 21–12 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. In the first round loss to Alabama, Alexander-Walker scored 15 points.[6]

As a sophomore, Alexander-Walker averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game during the regular season. He helped lead Virginia Tech to a 24–8 season, with a 12–6 record in the ACC and a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet 16.[7]

Professional career

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New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2022)

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On June 20, 2019, Alexander-Walker was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA draft.

On July 6, 2019, his draft rights were traded to the Atlanta Hawks, alongside Allen Crabbe and draft considerations, for future teammate Taurean Prince[8] and then immediately traded again to the New Orleans Pelicans.[9] The next day, the Pelicans announced that they had signed Alexander-Walker.[10] On October 22, 2019, Alexander-Walker made his NBA debut, coming off the bench in a 130–122 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors. He finished the game with three points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.[11]

On November 16, 2019, Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 27 points, while getting four rebounds and three assists in a 109–94 loss against the Miami Heat.[12]

On February 26, 2020, the Pelicans assigned Alexander-Walker to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League.[13] On February 27, 2020, Alexander-Walker had 23 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in his first G League game, a 125–124 win over the Long Island Nets.[14]

On January 13, 2021, he started for the Pelicans and scored a career-high 37 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.[15]

Utah Jazz (2022–2023)

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On February 8, 2022, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Tomáš Satoranský, Didi Louzada, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick, the better of New Orleans' and Portland's 2026 second-round draft picks and New Orleans' 2027 second-round draft pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell.[16] A day later, Alexander-Walker was traded again, this time to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade.[17]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–present)

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On February 9, 2023, Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley Jr. were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, which sent Damian Jones, Russell Westbrook and Juan Toscano-Anderson to Utah and Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell to Los Angeles.[18] He was re-signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 10, 2023.[19]

National team career

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Alexander-Walker competed for Canada at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, leading the team to the silver medal. He led all scorers in the tournament with 17.4 points per game. He also competed for the Canadian senior national team in the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[2]

On May 24, 2022, Alexander-Walker agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.[20] He was named to Canada's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[21]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 New Orleans 47 1 12.6 .368 .346 .676 1.8 1.9 .4 .2 5.7
2020–21 New Orleans 46 13 21.9 .419 .347 .727 3.1 2.2 1.0 .5 11.0
2021–22 New Orleans 50 19 26.3 .375 .311 .722 3.3 2.8 .8 .4 12.8
Utah 15 2 9.9 .333 .303 .917 1.5 1.1 1.1 .3 3.5
2022–23 Utah 36 3 14.7 .488 .402 .692 1.6 2.1 .7 .4 6.3
Minnesota 23 0 15.5 .384 .361 .619 1.8 1.4 .3 .3 5.9
2023–24 Minnesota 82 20 23.4 .439 .391 .800 2.0 2.5 .8 .5 8.0
Career 299 58 19.6 .407 .354 .730 2.3 2.2 .7 .4 8.3

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Minnesota 2 1 30.3 .600 .375 1.000 4.0 4.0 2.0 1.0 11.5
Career 2 1 30.3 .600 .375 1.000 4.0 4.0 2.0 1.0 11.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Utah 1 0 4.7 1.000 — 1.000 1.0 1.0 1.0 .0 5.0
2023 Minnesota 5 4 29.6 .429 .400 .667 2.0 1.4 .6 .2 8.4
2024 Minnesota 16 1 23.6 .366 .296 1.000 1.8 2.3 .6 .4 7.3
Career 22 5 24.1 .389 .321 .929 1.8 2.0 .6 .4 7.4

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Virginia Tech 33 33 25.4 .449 .392 .730 3.8 1.5 .8 .5 10.7
2018–19 Virginia Tech 34 34 34.3 .474 .374 .778 4.1 4.0 1.9 .5 16.2
Career 67 67 29.9 .464 .383 .763 4.0 2.7 1.4 .5 13.5

Personal life

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His cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also plays in the NBA, currently for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nickeil's mother Nicole is the sister of Shai's father Vaughn.[22] Nickeil's cousin, Thomasi (Shai's younger brother), was a college basketball player for the Evansville Purple Aces and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.[23]

Alexander-Walker is the nephew of sprinter Charmaine Gilgeous.

Both Nicole and Charmaine attended Blessed Mother Teresa High School located in the community of Malvern which is located in Scarborough. Alexander also attended Crestview Public School in Toronto, Ontario during his early life.

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide" (Press release). National Basketball Association. October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Johnson, Chris (November 21, 2017). "The Sleeper Emerging as One of the 2018 NBA Draft's Best Guards". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  3. ^ Tipton, Jerry (December 13, 2017). "Competitive cousins shared a room in high school. UK-Virginia Tech game pits them against each other". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Watkins, Evan (June 23, 2018). "Nickeil Alexander-Walker named a Top 15 2019 NBA Draft prospect". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  5. ^ "Alexander-Walker carries Virginia Tech past The Citadel". ESPN. Associated Press. November 12, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "Alabama edges Virginia Tech, 86–83". Reuters. March 16, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "Duke 75-73 Virginia Tech (Mar 29, 2019) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Allen Crabbe And Conditional 2020 First-Round Pick From Brooklyn Nets". National Basketball Association. July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  9. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Draft Rights To De'Andre Hunter, Solomon Hill And Conditional 2023 Second-Round Pick From New Orleans". National Basketball Association. July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  10. ^ "Pelicans sign Hayes and Alexander-Walker". National Basketball Association. July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "VanVleet scores career-high 34, Raptors top Pelicans 130–122". ESPN. October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  12. ^ "Pelicans' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Pops for career-high 27 points". CBS Sports. November 17, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  13. ^ "Pelicans assign rookie Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the G League". USA Today. February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Nickeil Alexander-Walker goes for 23 points in first G League game". USA Today. February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Nickeil Alexander-Walker shines with 37-point night, Pelicans fall to Clippers". Fox Sports. January 13, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "TRAIL BLAZERS COMPLETE TRADE WITH NEW ORLEANS" (Press release). Portland Trail Blazers. February 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "Jazz Acquire Alexander-Walker and Hernangomez". National Basketball Association. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  18. ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire Guards Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Utah Jazz". National Basketball Association. February 9, 2023.
  19. ^ "Timberwolves Re-Sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker". National Basketball Association. July 10, 2023.
  20. ^ "FOURTEEN ATHLETES COMMITTED TO REPRESENT CANADA AS SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM SUMMER CORE REVEALED". Canada Basketball. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray to lead NBA-experienced Canadian Olympic team in Paris". CBC / The Canadian Press. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  22. ^ "Bonus Timberwolves plug-in drama: A battle of cousins at Target Center". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander – Men's Basketball". Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Athletics. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
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