How Are SGA and Nickeil Alexander-Walker Related? They Have Closer Ties Than You Think

Some families are just blessed with that superstar gene. They manage to produce big-time winners and it seems completely effortless; it's just written in the stars.

This may be the case for the family of Shai Gilgeous Alexander (SGA) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, two NBA stars who are related in some way.

The duo has been making waves in the NBA, and it's clear that they have some sort of familial tie. Here's what we know about how they are related.

While SGA and Nickeil act and look like brothers, they aren't quite that closely related. According to Basketball Network, Nickeil's mom is the sister of SGA's dad.

This makes them first cousins.

They grew up together and have faced each other fifteen times on the court while in the NBA. Before they graduated and joined the NBA, the duo attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn., together. As Heavy reports, they lived together with their high school head coach, Zach Ferrell.

They were essentially raised as brothers through their teen years, despite being cousins. SGA plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, while NAW plays for the the Minnesota Timberwolves, which puts them as far apart as they've been in years.

But despite the distance between the two cousins, their rivalry is as heated up as ever.

In the 2025 season, SGA's Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Denver Nuggets in Game 7, knocking them out in their second-round playoff series. Which set SGA and NAW up for a Western Conference Finals showdown

And, like any family, that means that people are having some big feelings about the rivalry showdown. Including Nickeil's mother. In an interview with press shared on X (formerly Twitter) by David McMenamin, Nickeil revealed that his mom had some fiery words for the promised face-off.

In the family's group text, Nickeil's mom playfully warned, "Oh, it's war now."

But despite the words that promise a fierce showdown, the cousins still act like brothers when they're off the court. In social media post after social media post, the duo tags one another with words that sound brotherly. Whether they're sharing photos of each other facing off on the court or posing together, it's clear that they still have a very close and supportive relationship.

In one post on his Instagram, NAW playfully shared a picture of the two shaking hands on the court and titled it, "$hai Day."

Meanwhile, back in 2020 SGA honored his cousin with a photo of the two on Instagram and added the caption, "SGA x NAW: All Star 2020."

Regardless of who takes home the big 2025 win, these two are a force to be reckoned with; both apart, and together. Raised as brothers and bound by blood, they show that some families know how to create stars, and those stars shine brightest together.