Scott Radley: Hamilton’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shines at Met Gala
Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the MVP.
No, not of the NBA. Though he was close. The Oklahoma Thunder star finished fifth in voting for that award this week.
On the week of the stylish Met Gala - an annual fundraiser for New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute (with tickets costing $50,000 this year) but probably better known as a night of high fashion for celebrities and high society - we're reminded the 24-year-old was recently voted GQ Magazine's Most Stylish Man of the Year.
That's not just among basketball players. Everyone.
He is, to put it mildly, a clothes horse of the highest order, a gonzo dresser with a virtuosic eye for silhouette who pores over runway shows like he's watching postgame tape," the magazine wrote this week.
Seems the guy who once went attended Sir Allan MacNab and St. Thomas More is now the best-dressed man in the world.
This isn't exactly new. The six-foot-six guard has grabbed attention for years now with his fashion choices arriving at arenas for games. He's regularly photographed in the tunnel for his pre-game outfits. And he has been on the runway a number of times during fashion shows.
So what did he wear to the gala?
Again, we'll turn to GQ's writers to explain.
An oversized open-collar coat in grosgrain ribbon tweed worn over a crisp tuxedo shirt, silk faille bow tie, and cropped mohair tuxedo trousers, held up by a cummerbund and cut to sit an inch or two above shiny longwing boots. The real showstopper, though, is a gun club check cardigan and skirt set, which flutters like a cape around Gilgeous-Alexander's lanky frame."
If that sounds like it's written in another language, just skip right to the photo.
How did the ensemble play?
The Oklahoma City Thunder's star guard showed up and showed out on fashion's biggest night, wearing an incredible Thom Browne suit that took the internet by storm and solidified his standing as one of the most well-dressed people and celebrities on the planet," Bleacher Report said.
SGA is arguably the best-dressed player in the NBA. He did little to dispel that notion on Monday, putting together a peach of a number to reassert himself not simply as one of basketball's best talents, but also among its most creative," The Sporting News added.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander cemented his status as a Met Gala mainstay with this year's look," said Sharp Magazine.
Of course, it wasn't just the fashion compliments that made this a week to remember for him. That NBA MVP voting was huge, too.
Only one Canadian has ever won. Steve Nash actually took the award home twice. But until this week, he was the only north-of-the-border player to even get a vote.
Gilgeous-Alexander - who finished fourth in league scoring this year at 31.4 points per game - came in behind only Joel Embid, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum in voting for the top award.
And the man, who's one season into a five-year, $172-million (US) contract, joined some rather elite company in the process.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as the only players in NBA history to register at least 30 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block per game in a season," The Sporting News said.
Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com