Who has the longest name in NBA history?
By Daniel Stave
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played an NBA game yet, but he already holds an impressive record.
Of the thousands of players in the 72-year history of the NBA, none have had a longer last name than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Charlotte Hornets selected Gilgeous-Alexander with the 11th pick in last week’s NBA draft. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gilgeous-Alexander passed another player with a hyphenated last name, Michael Carter-Williams, by two letters to claim the title.
"Clippers draft pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now has the longest last name in NBA history. from nba"
The hyphenated name honors both of his parents, Charmaine Gilgeous and Vaughn Alexander, who are divorced. Perhaps he gets his athletic abilities from Gilgeous, who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics as a track athlete from Antigua and Barbuda.
As the article notes, Gilgeous-Alexander’s full name of Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander is not close to the longest full name in NBA history. That honor goes to Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo.
Despite growing up in Toronto, Gilgeous-Alexander graduated from Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He moved to Hamilton Heights before his junior season to improve his skills and raise his profile as a recruit.
Gilgeous-Alexander was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in 2017. With John Calipari’s typically-loaded recruiting classes, he was expected to be just a role player for the 2017-18 Kentucky Wildcats.
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Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander took over the team. He lead the Wildcats in minutes played and assists, and was second in points to fellow 2018 lottery pick Kevin Knox. Kentucky lost to Kansas State in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The Clippers agreed to send two future second-round picks picks to the Hornets to move up one spot to ensure they were able to select Gilgeous-Alexander with the 11th pick.
Gilgeous-Alexander will have to earn his playing time. He will join several veterans in the Clippers backcourt, such as Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Austin Rivers, and Milos Teodosic.