OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) \u2014 An Oklahoma City Thunder star has launched a new nonprofit to help children and families in the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n
NBA champion and Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander announced the launch of The SGA Foundation, a registered charity in both the United States and Canada. <\/p>\n
The location is no accident; SGA says the foundation’s roots are also in the places that shaped him the most- Ontario and Oklahoma.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here to officially announce the launch of The SGA Foundation, in both Canada and the US,\u201d said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. \u201cWe\u2019re building pathways for kids and the families raising them, built on self-belief, growth, and access. This is about making real impact and giving back to the communities that have supported me for so many years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SGA Foundation’s mission is to build pathways for kids and the families raising them to achieve their full potential through impact centered on Self-Belief, Growth, and Access.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been fortunate to do work in the community for years, from annual visits to children’s hospitals, to seasonal givebacks, to basketball camps, and I don’t take that for granted,” Gilgeous-Alexander added. “Now, with my own foundation, I have a real platform to do it more intentionally, showing up for these communities in ways that are lasting and meaningful, and building something that can support them long after I’m done playing.”<\/p>\n
SGA says his own story required proving himself after being cut from his high school team and working his way up from there. He says what kept him moving was self-belief, and the people who showed up for him along the way. <\/p>\n
“I always told him, there’s going to be a doctor, there’s going to be an NBA player, so believe it could be you,” said Charmaine Gilgeous, Shai’s mother. “I never imagined it would lead here, to him building something rooted in supporting others and putting kindness first. Seeing him turn that belief into something for other families, that’s the proudest I’ve ever been.”<\/p>\n