Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was back in action on Friday for the first time since the Thunder‘s Game 7 loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, scoring 26 points as Team Canada beat Puerto Rico 110-84 in their World Cup qualifying game.

Not only did the two-time MVP get to play in front of his home country’s rambunctious fan base, but he was also competing alongside his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, an experience he’s not taking for granted, according to Jeff Patterson of The Oklahoman.

“We’ve been through every like step of our basketball career together,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, “and to still be doing it at a high level together is an experience that it’s hard to put into words and has me breaking character middle of the game.”

Gilgeous-Alexander also spoke about Kawhi Leonard heading back to the Raptors, noting that Toronto’s fans would always show out for their team but that adding a player of Leonard’s caliber will only enhance their passion.

We have more from around the Northwest Division:

• Tamar Bates‘ new two-way contract with the Jazz covers two years, Keith Smith reports for Spotrac (Twitter link). The 23-year-old guard had a strong G League season in 2025/26, but has yet to make his NBA debut. Bates is currently on Utah’s Summer League roster, though he didn’t play in Saturday’s opener.
• There was a school of thought last month that the Thunder‘s lottery selection of 7’3″ center Aday Mara was influenced by how Victor Wembanyama performed against them in the playoffs. However, the belief that Mara was drafted with Wembanyama in mind does the rookie a disservice and isn’t why Oklahoma City valued him so highly, Joe Mussatto writes for The Oklahoman. “I don’t think you can centralize everything around one particular team,” general manager Sam Presti said. “If somebody was building their entire roster around Denver or Boston or us, they’d be disappointed because those teams weren’t there at the end.” Instead, Mussatto writes, it was Mara’s intersection of offensive feel and rim protection on defense that made him such a draw for the Thunder’s brain trust, as the big man shows the kind of high-level passing ability that the Thunder traditionally value.
• LeBron James‘ agent, Rich Paul, broke down James’ free agent options via a white board during a recent podcast. One of the teams included was the Timberwolves, though Paul’s comments about the Minnesota possibility centered more on what James could do for the team than what the team could do for James, Chris Hine writes for the Star Tribune. While that may be a hint that the Wolves are a long shot, their front office has shown a willingness to chase stars even when the odds are against them, so Hine says to expect them to continue their pursuit until LeBron tells them they’re out.