Like anyone who was young and into basketball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot his shot. His improbable journey to NBA stardom reached its first step nearly a decade ago. Once a slow jog, it has accelerated to a fast pace over the past four years.
Netflix got lucky with Gilgeous-Alexander. He was the top billing name for Season 2 ‘Starting 5’. Camera crews followed him daily throughout the 2024-25 season as he made NBA history by accomplishing every accomplishment you can think of.
Gilgeous led Alexander Oklahoma City Thunder To the NBA championship. He did it in a historic way. Along the way to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy, he won the MVP award, the NBA Finals MVP award, the scoring title, and more. He became synonymous with the league’s best players.
If you ask Gilgeous-Alexander’s circle, some might be surprised by his storybook MyCareer story. Just a decade ago, his future wife, Hayley Summers, treated his ambitions as nothing more than a high school kid’s pipe dream scenario.
Netflix visited Gilgeous-Alexander’s childhood. One part of the “Starting 5” documentary that stood out was an early date he spent with Summers when they were still high school sweethearts. Both basketball fanatics, he brainstormed the idea of taking her to Toronto Raptors The game is at home, which is about an hour and a half drive from their hometown, Hamilton.
Summers recalled that date and how Gilgeous-Alexander promised her they would eventually move from sitting in the seats with nosebleeds to warmups on the court.
"I remember going to a Raptors game a long time ago and we were having nosebleeds. He didn’t say we were. We were definitely" Summers said. "We were very high up. “Don’t worry, I’ll play here one day, and I’ll be in the NBA,” he said. I thought to myself, “Yes…mmmm okay.” Every boy’s dream."
In Summers’ defense, Gilgeous-Alexander cut an unexpected path. He went to Kentucky for one season before being drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 11 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. In that range, you’d hope for a solid player. Maybe a start. The optimist could have seen two All-Star appearances in his future if all went well.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander shattered that glass ceiling. Strapped for a jetpack, he went from a good development prospect to an MVP winner in just three seasons. The consistent 30-point scorer turned OKC from rebuilding to NBA champion.
Summers had a front-row seat to Gilgeous-Alexander’s basketball rise. So it was great to hear her perspective on how quickly their lives have changed over the past decade. Fans got to see the dynamics of their relationship in the Netflix show.
Hayley Summers talks about pre-NBA tea:
I remember going to a Raptors game a long time ago and we were having nosebleeds, and he [SGA] “Don’t worry, I’ll play here one day, I’ll be in the NBA,” he said.
He is now the best player in the NBA and the champion of the NBA 🥹
pic.twitter.com/T8sTnRCWs2– 🇦🇺 (@SkyedOKC) October 16, 2025
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: How the Raptors kicked off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s NBA ambitions