Nickeil Alexander-Walker (born September 2, 1998) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. A shooting guard, he was drafted 17th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA draft but was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93034.jpg) Alexander-Walker with Canada in 2023 | |
| No. 9 – Minnesota Timberwolves | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 2, 1998 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Virginia Tech (2017–2019) |
| NBA draft | 2019: 1st round, 17th overall pick |
| Selected by the Brooklyn Nets | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2022 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2020 | →Erie BayHawks |
| 2022–2023 | Utah Jazz |
| 2023–present | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
High school career
A native of Toronto, Alexander-Walker played for Vaughan Secondary School, St. Louis Christian Academy, and Hamilton Heights Christian Academy.[1] At Hamilton Heights, he was a teammate of his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The two have a close relationship and shared a room at coach Zach Ferrell's house.[2] He was ranked the No. 74 prospect in the class of 2017 according to Scout.com.[1]
College career
Alexander-Walker committed to Virginia Tech in May 2016, over offers from USC and Maryland. As a freshman for the Hokies, Alexander-Walker averaged 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.[3] In his second game in college, he scored a season-high 29 points in a 132–93 win over The Citadel.[4] He helped lead Virginia Tech to a 21–12 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. In the first round loss to Alabama, Alexander-Walker scored 15 points.[5]
As a sophomore, Alexander-Walker averaged 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game during the regular season. He helped lead Virginia Tech to a 24–8 season, with a 12–6 record in the ACC and a 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet 16.[6]
Professional career
New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2022)
On June 20, 2019, Alexander-Walker was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA draft.
On July 6, 2019, his draft rights were traded to the Atlanta Hawks[7] and then immediately traded again to the New Orleans Pelicans.[8] The next day, the Pelicans announced that they had signed Alexander-Walker.[9] On October 22, 2019, Alexander-Walker made his NBA debut, coming off the bench in a 130–122 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors. He finished the game with three points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.[10]
On November 16, 2019, Alexander-Walker scored a career-high 27 points, while getting four rebounds and three assists in a 109–94 loss against the Miami Heat.[11]
On February 26, 2020, the Pelicans assigned Alexander-Walker to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League.[12] On February 27, 2020, Alexander-Walker had 23 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in his first G League game, a 125–124 win over the Long Island Nets.[13]
On January 13, 2021, he started for the Pelicans and scored a career-high 37 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.[14]
Utah Jazz (2022–2023)
On February 8, 2022, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Tomáš Satoranský, Didi Louzada, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick, the better of New Orleans' and Portland's 2026 second-round draft picks and New Orleans' 2027 second-round draft pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell.[15] A day later, Alexander-Walker was traded again, this time to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade.[16]
Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–present)
On February 9, 2023, Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley Jr. were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.[17] He was re-signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 10, 2023.[18]
National team career
Alexander-Walker competed for Canada at the 2016 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, leading the team to the silver medal. He led all scorers in the tournament with 17.4 points per game. He also competed for Canada with the senior national team in the Olympic qualifiers in 2021.[1]
On May 24, 2022, Alexander-Walker agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.[19]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | New Orleans | 47 | 1 | 12.6 | .368 | .346 | .676 | 1.8 | 1.9 | .4 | .2 | 5.7 |
| 2020–21 | New Orleans | 46 | 13 | 21.9 | .419 | .347 | .727 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .5 | 11.0 |
| 2021–22 | New Orleans | 50 | 19 | 26.3 | .375 | .311 | .722 | 3.3 | 2.8 | .8 | .4 | 12.8 |
| Utah | 15 | 2 | 9.9 | .333 | .303 | .917 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.1 | .3 | 3.5 | |
| 2022–23 | Utah | 36 | 3 | 14.7 | .488 | .402 | .692 | 1.6 | 2.1 | .7 | .4 | 6.3 |
| Minnesota | 23 | 0 | 15.5 | .384 | .361 | .619 | 1.8 | 1.4 | .3 | .3 | 5.9 | |
| 2023–24 | Minnesota | 82 | 20 | 23.4 | .439 | .391 | .800 | 2.0 | 2.5 | .8 | .5 | 8.0 |
| Career | 299 | 58 | 19.6 | .407 | .354 | .730 | 2.3 | 2.2 | .7 | .4 | 8.3 | |
Play-in
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Minnesota | 2 | 1 | 30.3 | .600 | .375 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 11.5 |
| Career | 2 | 1 | 30.3 | .600 | .375 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 11.5 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Utah | 1 | 0 | 4.7 | 1.000 | — | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 5.0 |
| 2023 | Minnesota | 5 | 4 | 29.6 | .429 | .400 | .667 | 2.0 | 1.4 | .6 | .2 | 8.4 |
| Career | 6 | 4 | 25.4 | .459 | .400 | .750 | 1.8 | 1.3 | .7 | .2 | 7.8 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Virginia Tech | 33 | 33 | 25.4 | .449 | .392 | .730 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .8 | .5 | 10.7 |
| 2018–19 | Virginia Tech | 34 | 34 | 34.3 | .474 | .374 | .778 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 1.9 | .5 | 16.2 |
| Career | 67 | 67 | 29.9 | .464 | .383 | .763 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 1.4 | .5 | 13.5 | |
Personal life
His cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also plays in the NBA, currently for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nickeil's mother Nicole is the sister of Shai's father Vaughn.[20] Nickeil's cousin, Thomasi (Shai's younger brother), was a college basketball player for the Evansville Purple Aces and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.[21]
Alexander-Walker is the nephew of sprinter Charmaine Gilgeous.
Both Nicole and Charmaine attended Blessed Mother Teresa High School located in the community of Malvern which is located in Scarborough.
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Virginia Tech Hokies bio
- USBasket profile