June 29, 2026, 3:15 p.m. CT
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has experienced his best basketball moments in OKC. One NBA championship, two rings, a scoring title and a meteoric rise as an all-time great. He’s hoping to spice things up on his Hall-of-Fame resume as he runs it back with Team Canada.
Leading by example, Gilgeous-Alexander will take part in Canada’s summer training camp ahead of the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Olympics. The World Cup qualifiers begin in July 2026. They will face Puerto Rico on Friday, July 3 and Jamaica on Monday, July 6. Another qualifier will be held on Monday, Aug. 31.
Since Gilgeous-Alexander ascended into an eventual two-time MVP winner, Team Canada has enjoyed its best era of international hoops. They finished bronze in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and advanced to the 2024 Olympic quarterfinals before being knocked out by France.
“Playing for your country is something I dreamed about as a kid. Being able to have the opportunity to do so, I choose to do it every single time,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s that simple for me.”
Right now, Canada is rich with NBA talent. Gilgeous-Alexander is joined by Lu Dort, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Bennedict Mathurin. Canada head coach Gordie Herbert has established a new rule where if you’re going to suit up for the World Cup and Olympics, you need to agree to a three-year commitment in order to ramp up and build chemistry.
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Of course, Thunder fans have become pseudo-Canada fans. Gilgeous-Alexander has incentivized OKC folks to tune into their international games over the last handful of summers. Expect that to continue over the next couple of summers as he should still be at the top of his prime for those events.