“Flashiest, the splashiest, the craftiest”: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gifts Drake signed OKC jersey with special message

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has made quite a reputation for himself as one of the best offensive guards in the game. With a unique blend of size, speed and grace, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's bag has earned him widespread praise across the NBA community. On the heels of an impressive third-place finish in the FIBA World Cup with Team Canada, Gilgeous-Alexander is eager to keep the ball rolling.

Ahead of the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder have captured the attention of fans around the league. With SGA shouldering most of the scoring load accompanied by Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren, the team is poised for a big year.

As such, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned himself a fan in popular rapper Drake, who is a fellow Canadian. From the sounds of things, the pair have a budding friendship, with OKC Thunder standout Tre Mann of the belief that Drake writes some of SGA's Instagram captions.

One the rapper likely didn't write for the OKC star was his recent tribute to Drake, which accompanied a photo of a signed jersey. Drake posted the signed jersey on his Instagram story, showing that SGA wrote:

"To the boy: Shout out to the flashiest, the splashiest, the craftiest... my fly brother, the GOAT... appreciate you."

@ChampagnePapi - Instagram

Looking ahead at this season and the duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren

In 2021-22, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey put the world on notice with their stellar play. Despite that, the OKC Thunder seemed to be missing a key piece for their young core to fit alongside Giddy and SGA. The team ended up drafting Chet Holmgren in 2022, who spent last season recovering from a foot injury.

This season, however, the big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey and Chet Holmgren seem poised to make some serious waves in the West. While SGA has played in just one preseason game, the trio already have fans eager to see them perform in the regular season.

When the team was going through training camp several weeks ago, SGA spoke about the dynamic duo of him and Holmgren, via Sports Illustrated:

“We both have weapons that we can add and make each other’s game easier. Now, the more we get better at it, the faster we get better at it, the better the team will be. That’s on me and Chet to figure out. Super excited, super fun.”

The OKC Thunder are set to play in three more preseason games, including Sunday's clash with the Charlotte Hornets. On Oct. 25 their regular season will tip off in Chicago, where they will face Billy Donovan's Bulls, who are eager to make a splash in the East.