Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Los Angeles Clippers 2018-19 Panini National Treasures Basketball Rookie Patch Autograph 27/99 #121 BGS 9.5/10 Autograph | Rookie Card | On-Card Autograph | Player-Worn Patch

When it comes to young, exciting talent in the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has undoubtedly burst onto the scene as one of the brightest stars. At just 26 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself at the summit of the league's most elite talent.

With the 11th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Gilgeous-Alexander. His time as a Hornet did not last long, not even a full day to be exact as he was traded later that night to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Miles Bridges, who the Clippers had selected with the 12th pick, and two additional second round picks. Shai felt good about the trade, commenting shortly after; "I feel like they don't have an alpha dog point guard right now and a guy that brings ultimate leadership to the group, I feel that's one of my biggest attributes and what I bring to the table." 

At just 20 years old, Shai was quickly thrown into the equation for the Clippers, seeing action in all 82 games while serving as the starting point guard in 73 contests. He hit the 20-point mark for the first time in his career on December 17, 2018 against the Portland Trail Blazers notching 24 points in a 131-127 loss. Just a few weeks later, he matched his career-high point total in a January 18, 2019 contest against the Golden State Warriors, a team he would become very familiar with come season's end. Gilgeous-Alexander finished his rookie season with averages of 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting just under 50% from the field. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting behind Collin Sexton, Jaren Jackson Jr., Deandre Ayton, Trae Young, and Luka Dončić, while also earning second team All-Rookie honors. 

As a team, the Clippers finished the regular season with a record of 48-34, securing a spot in the playoffs. This set the stage for an opening round matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Although the Clippers lost the series 4-2, Gilgeous-Alexander made a strong impression. He notably scored a career-high 25 points in Game 4, also the team-high for the game.

The following offseason saw major changes. On July 6, 2019 at 1:54 a.m. eastern time, while most of America was sleeping, ESPN reporter and NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the basketball world via Twitter by firing off a series of tweets: “Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard has informed runners-up teams of his plans: He's signing with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.” And just one minute later: “Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.” It was clear the Clippers were looking to drastically change their starting rotation as they aimed to become the juggernaut in the West. What was not immediately clear, was the entire package being shipped off to acquire Paul George. As details were revealed, the Thunder would now own the rights to five first round draft picks, ability to swap two future first round picks with the Clippers, and players Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The trade marked a dramatic shift in the Clippers' pursuit of a championship, while the Thunder entered full rebuild mode. In his first season with the Thunder, Shai led the team in scoring, averaging 19 points per game. Though his second season in OKC was cut short by injury, Gilgeous-Alexander increased his scoring to 23.7 points per game, alongside 4.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists.

On August 3, 2021, Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to a $172 million rookie extension keeping him in Oklahoma City for the next five years, signaling his commitment to Oklahoma City’s rebuild. Shai continued to battle injuries in his third season with the Thunder and only appeared in 56 games. In his fourth season there, Gilgeous-Alexander took another step toward stardom, becoming only the third guard in NBA history to average 30 points, 1.5 steals, and 1 block per game, joining Dwyane Wade and Michael Jordan. These averages earned him his first All-NBA First Team selection. 

By his fifth year, the fruits of Oklahoma City’s rebuild were evident. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a now MVP candidate and clear leader of the Thunder, had two co-stars working alongside him. Former #2 overall Chet Holmgren was finally healthy and Jalen Williams (product of the Paul George trade) looked to be an up and coming all-star. This trio led the Thunder to a much improved 57-25 regular season record. With this performance, the Thunder became the youngest team in NBA history to secure the number one seed with an average age of 23.4, a record previously held by the 2004-05 Phoenix Suns with an average age of 25.2.

The now one-seed Oklahoma City Thunder were set to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round of the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder made quick work of the Pelicans, sweeping the series in four games with Shai leading the Thunder in points each game. The Thunder also became the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series. 

That would be as far as the 2024 postseason would take Shai and the Thunder. Their run ended in the Conference Semifinals against Luka Dončić and the eventual Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks. The series proved to be too much for the young Thunder squad as they were eventually upset and lost the series four games to two. Despite the series loss, Gilgeous-Alexander showcased his incredible talent, averaging 32.2 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game in the series while shooting 51% from the field. His performance on the national stage solidified his status as one of the NBA’s top players. For the second consecutive year, he earned First Team All-NBA honors and finished as the runner-up for league MVP, behind Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić.

Although the Thunder fell short of the Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander’s determination remained. He spent the offseason refining his game, preparing for another season. And as the 2024-25 season comes to a close, he has certainly delivered, becoming a scoring machine by leading the league in 20 point, 30 point, 40 point, and even 50 point outbursts. 

On January 22, 2025 in front of more than 17,000 fans in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander had a career night scoring 54 points in a 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz. 54 marked a new career high, and at the time, the most points scored by a Canadian in an NBA game, a record that would later be broken by Jamal Murray. With this stellar performance, Gilgeous-Alexander became only the 12th player in NBA history to record 50 points in four or more contests in a single season joining legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Michel Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and others.

His four 50-point games this season also gave him the record for most in a season by a Canadian born player, a country that has consistently produced top NBA talent including Steve Nash, Andrew Wiggins, and RJ Barrett. One more 50 point outburst would set himself apart from Kevin Durant and tie him with Russell Westbrook for most 50 point games in franchise history. 

This season, Gilgeous-Alexander also became only the third player in league history to record 45 30+ point games in three consecutive seasons. He joins a pretty good company: Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. He also became just the third player in NBA history to score 20+ points in 70 straight games in a single season, joining only Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain. At the time of cataloging, the Thunder stand at 65 wins, breaking the franchise record held by the 1994-95 Seattle SuperSonics. This record-breaking year for the Thunder has proved yet again that they are more than just a one year wonder, having secured the number one seed in the west while also having the best record in the entire league, at the time of cataloging.

The future could not be any brighter in Oklahoma City. With the team continuing to reap the rewards of the Paul George trade, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are poised to remain at the forefront of the NBA for years to come.

At the time of writing, SGA is the clear frontrunner and betting odds favorite to be named the NBA’s 2024-25 Most Valuable Player, ahead of Nikola Jokić. As he closes out a historic season, expect him to carry his success into the playoffs, where he will undoubtedly be looking to avenge last year’s early exit.

National Treasures has risen to the height of the hobby since its introduction by Donruss/Playoff in 2006 and has continued to be a fan favorite since Panini purchased Donruss/Playoff in 2009. Since bursting onto the scene, Panini’s National Treasures has been among the top high-end products in the hobby and annually produced some of the best cards on the market. Highly anticipated each year for its release of some of the most highly sought after RPAs on the market, there are few that are more important across all sports. Outside of the Logoman #1/1, four additional parallels can be found as part of the rookie patch autographs subset: FOTL #/20, Gold #/10, Emerald #/5, and Blue FOTL #/3. Despite being lowered numbered, over the years collectors have gravitated towards the “true” version #/99 apart from the logoman. 

This card features an on-card autograph and has been authenticated and deemed to be in Gem Mint condition, receiving a grade of 9.5 from Beckett Grading Services (BGS). The autograph was graded and received a 10 from BGS. It is among the highest condition copies of the card ever certified and, at the time of cataloging, none of the other 58 examples of this card have been graded higher by Beckett.

The BGS certificate number for this card is: 0012036657.

Going Deeper - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Before he was an MVP frontrunner on the best team in the league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a teenager who failed to make the junior varsity roster as a freshman. This failure sparked a years-long fire to become the best he could ever be. Gilgeous-Alexnader’s athletic pedigree was strong: his mother participated in the 1992 Summer Olympics and his dad, who coached him as a youth player, won a basketball championship while enrolled at Georges Vanier Secondary School in Toronto. From a young age, SGA knew he wanted to be the face of the NBA.

As a result of not making the junior varsity roster, Shai found himself on the midget squad at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School. He found success as he was named team MVP while taking the team to the midget boys' city championship. He transferred to Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School for his sophomore year, but soon realized he needed to face tougher competition to reach the next level.

Just prior to his junior year, Gilgeous-Alexander and his cousin, current Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Tennessee where they faced better competition. In his first year, Gilgeous-Alexander helped bring a National Association of Christian Athletes national championship to Chattanooga, although his cousin was known to be the point scorer at the time. 

In 2016, Shai participated in Basketball Without Borders, a program aimed at promoting basketball and positive social change amongst youth. That same year, he competed in the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in Chile as a member of the Canadian team. SGA, alongside his cousin, helped lead Canada to the title game, before falling to the United States and finishing with a silver medal.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s two years in Tennessee and on the international stage were certainly fruitful as he saw his stock rise to that of a four star recruit. He received offers from some of the top programs in the country such as the University of Kansas, Syracuse University, and the University of Texas. He ultimately settled on the University of Florida. In a turn of events that is not uncommon for high school athletes, Gilgeous-Alexander wound up decommitting from the University of Florida. He opted to stay in the SEC, after being offered a scholarship from then University of Kentucky coach, John Calipari. 

At Kentucky, despite a stacked roster, Gilgeous-Alexander quickly became the starting point guard midway through the season. By January, he had been penciled in for the starting point guard position for the remainder of the season. 

Gilgeous-Alexander looked phenomenal in the SEC tournament, cruising through the competition even in the SEC championship game against rival Tennessee. In a 77-72 win, Shai put up 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals while helping Kentucky to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament. Gilgeous-Alexander’s standout performance in the tournament resulted in him being selected to the All-SEC Tournament Team and being named the most valuable player of the tournament.

Similarly to the SEC tournament, Gilgeous-Alexander and Kentucky rolled through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament with commanding wins over Davidson and Buffalo. Kentucky was met with its toughest matchup in the Sweet 16 against Kansas State. With just a second left on the clock, SGA attempted the game-tying three-pointer only to have it bounce off the glass and off of the rim. With a 61-58 victory, Kansas State, as a nine seed, had pulled off the upset against a stacked Kentucky team. University of Kentucky fans and players were stunned, and with that came the end of Gilgeous-Alexander’s collegiate career.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s meteoric ascent to the top of the NBA is a testament to his dedication, vision, and unparalleled work ethic to the game of basketball. From an unknown prospect to one of the league’s most dominant forces, he has made it known where he stands among the game’s best, showcasing the lifelong dedication that it takes to be a superstar.