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Before he was NBA Finals MVP, SGA starred at a Tennessee high school

IMG_8358by: Andy Villamarzo06/23/25Andy_Villamarzo

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player during the 2025 playoffs and after Sunday night’s Game 7, he added another honor to his name: NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. SGA scored a game-high 29 points and dished out 12 assists in a game-clinching 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers.

The MVP just put an exclamation point on one of the greatest individual performances for a season in NBA history, leading a 68-win team, notching the league’s scoring title and winning Western Conference MVP along as well.

Before SGA ever entered the NBA or took home either of the three MVP trophies he’s earned this 2024-2025 campaign, the shooting guard played his high school basketball starting in Canada before heading to Tennessee to close out his prep career.

The NBA Finals star played out his high school days playing at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee and had a stellar senior campaign for the Hawks.

As a 6-foot-5 guard, SGA through 32 games averaged a team-high 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and dished out four assists per contest. He would initially commit to the University of Florida before changing his mind and eventually signing with Kentucky instead.

“He worked really hard, and that’s the best thing I can say, is that Shai knew what he wanted and worked really hard to make sure that he got it. Even after he left here and went to college, he worked hard to get that scholarship and to do well at Kentucky so that he could go to the next level,” Hamilton Heights Christian Academy principal Jason Miller said of Gilgeous-Alexander back on June 2nd.

During his college days with the Wildcats, SGA would play just one season before announcing his intentions to head into the NBA Draft. In his lone season at Kentucky, the guard averaged 14.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds through 37 games.