You’d be hard pressed to come up with the name of a Canadian athlete – or any citizen in any vocation – who’s had a 12-month span as successful culturally and financially as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Toronto-born, Hamilton-bred basketball player who literally rose to the top of the sport.
In July of 2024 he led Canada’s national basketball team in the Paris Games, the team’s first Olympic participation in 24 years. He then went on to win the NBA’s scoring title, regular season Most Valuable Player award and MVP of the NBA Finals, all while winning the league’s championship. He joined some of the most famous names in the sport’s history in accomplishing this combination: Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He then signed a contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder that will total USD $285 million between the NBA seasons 2027-28 until 2030-31. In the next two seasons he will make $78 million total before making the jump to the next deal.
He was the first athlete in North American sport to sign a contract that will average over $70 million per season and could be the first to bust through the $75 million a year ceiling when his deal balloons to over $78 mill in the final year of the extension five years from now. On the heels of his signing, the Phoenix Suns signed their young star Devin Booker to a two-year deal worth $72.5M per season. Someone had to keep up.
As Gilgeous-Alexander just turned 27 years old on July 12 and will be only 32 or 33 at the signing of his next contract, still historically peak years for the greats of the game, he may be in line to sign a second “supermax” contract. Considering the regular inflation of NBA salaries, that deal could average well beyond $100 million a year. This would push his career earnings close to the USD $1 billion mark.
Lebron James just re-upped for $52 million for the upcoming season. He is 40 years old.
Beyond SGA’s enormous guaranteed and future earnings for playing basketball, his endorsement deals promise further riches. Sportico reports that he earned close to USD $18 million off the court in the past NBA season. He was recently announced as the cover athlete for the soon-to-be-released video game NBA 2K26.
His biggest sponsorship is tied to Nike’s Converse brand, a one-time leader in basketball shoes – think Magic Johnson and Larry Bird – now a sleeping giant that can safely predict mega sales when the Shai 001 is released this fall.
Sportico reports that Gilgeous-Alexander “created and designed his own logo and drew the initial designs” for his signature shoe. He has become the creative director of Converse Basketball, reportedly for $15 million per year. The shoe launch comes at the perfect time – he was seen wearing the “bread and butters” around his neck after winning the NBA title on his homecourt in Oklahoma City.
Named regularly by GQ Magazine as the NBA’s “most stylish man,” SGA has nurtured a reputation not only as an elite basketball player, but also as an individual with humility, fashion sense and authenticity.
“Young athletes who can seamlessly bridge performance and style are key drivers of both brand heat and sales,” Bryon Milburn, senior VP and chief marketing officer for Foot Locker told The New York Times. SGA’s presence has transcended his spectacular achievements on the court – his genuine personality has garnered young fans throughout the world. His Instagram has grown to 4.5 million followers.
Of the Shai 001 shoe, SGA told GQ Australia “it should look how Shai wants it to look. I’d be doing a disservice if I wasn’t involved.”
Closer to home he has an endorsement deal with Canada Goose, who’s website writes: “Shai co-designed a one-of-one piece that fuses our heritage with his modern sense of style.”
Though his $18M in endorsement earnings matched nearly half his salary in the past year, that sum promises to rise exponentially, much like his on-court salary. As reported by Forbes in 2024, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry was poised to earn USD $52 million in endorsements in 2025. As SGA’s star rises, and his ambitions as a businessperson continue to soar, it’s likely that his off-court income will approach and possibly surpass Curry’s figure in the future.
The biggest stars in the NFL are the quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes will earn nearly $57 million in the upcoming season. Major League Baseball’s top earner is Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He makes $70M per year although most of that is deferred.
For two more years Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will earn a decent salary by NBA standards. He will then enter a stratosphere not previously seen on the continent – an average of $71.5 mill per year, for four years, culminating with $78 million for the 2030-31 season. His endorsements could well be another $70M by then. It is financial fortune that no Canadian could have previously dreamed of.
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