OKC Thunder Superstar Offers Special Gift to Young Fan in Portland

The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a win in Portland on Sunday night, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped make a fan's birthday wish come true after the game.
Jan 26, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gives his shirt away to a fan after a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
Jan 26, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gives his shirt away to a fan after a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
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The Oklahoma City Thunder added another win to their season total on Sunday night, knocking off Portland 118-108 on the road.

During the game, a young fan who was sitting courtside called out to Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, letting the guard know that it was his birthday and asking for his jersey.

Gilgeous-Alexander responded by saying, "anything for you," twice before continuing to play. After the game, OKC's MVP candidate stayed true to his word, walking over to the fan, signing the jersey and gifting it to the boy.

Official NBA social media accounts have now identified the young man as Joseph, who turned 12-years-old on Sunday.

"When the final horn sounded, Shai walked over to where the boy was sitting," Portland sports reporter Kerry Eggers wrote on social media. "He took off his jersey, had the boy turn around, then signed it against his back and handed it to him. I don’t need to say that the awestruck boy was over the moon. A pretty cool moment that he will never forget."

Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 35 points, five rebounds, three steals and an assist, adding to his MVP candidacy. Despite an impressive performance, SGA's selfless gesture after the game will likely be just as memorable in a season that has been filled with dominant performances for the former LA Clippers guard.


On the year, SGA is averaging 32.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, six assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. The seventh-year veteran was recently named an All-Star starter after leading the Thunder to a 37-8 start to the 2024-25 campaign.

If the talented scorer is able to continue his impressive season after the All-Star break while leading Oklahoma City to the No. 1 seed, Gilgeous-Alexander will have a great case to win MVP. OKC's star guard is still battling three-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic, however, in the award race.

Jokic is putting up 30 points, 13.1 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading the Nuggets to a 28-18 mark on the season. While Jokic's numbers are impressive, Gilgeous-Alexander may be able to beat out the reigning MVP if the Thunder hold a significantly higher win total than Denver at the end of the regular season.



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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.