'Bring It Home For The 6ix' - Jamal Murray Tells Shai Gilgeous-Alexander To Complete The Job And Win The 2025 NBA Title

The two guards, who teamed up for Team Canada during the 2024 Paris Olympics, share more than just a national flag. Both are proud sons of Ontario, with Murray hailing from Kitchener and Gilgeous-Alexander from Hamilton. 

Despite a fierce second-round battle that saw Shai average 35 points and eventually eliminate Murray’s Nuggets in blowout fashion, the mutual respect between them was undeniable. And with the Nuggets out, Murray made it clear: he's backing Shai to finish the job and bring an NBA title back with pride for Canadians everywhere.

The message carried added weight considering the journey both have taken. Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite for the 2025 MVP award after leading the Thunder to a 68-win season and now into the Western Conference Finals. He has evolved into one of the league’s most dominant guards, blending surgical precision with relentless pace, and is now on the cusp of greatness.

Murray, meanwhile, saw his postseason hopes fall short despite his efforts to carry an injury-riddled Denver team that lacked depth and consistency outside Nikola Jokić. He finished Game 7 with 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting, noticeably frustrated and clearly outplayed by his fellow countryman. 

Still, Murray found it within himself to offer support rather than bitterness, and that simple phrase symbolized a moment of brotherhood that only the basketball gods could script.

Canada’s influence on the NBA has never been stronger. With Andrew Wiggins, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, and others making noise in recent years, Gilgeous-Alexander has now emerged as the face of Canadian basketball. And for someone like Murray, who was once considered Canada’s basketball crown jewel, it was a symbolic passing of the torch.

As the Thunder prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander will go head-to-head with Anthony Edwards, another rising force. But there will also be a deeper subplot: Shai’s family connection to Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. 

The cousins are practically brothers, and now they’ll compete for a place in the NBA Finals. It’s war on the court, but a bond off it that further underlines the special place this postseason holds for Canadian basketball.

For Jamal Murray, the mission is done this season. But for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s just beginning. The dream of bringing an NBA title back to a country that’s given the league so much talent now rests on his shoulders.

And with Jamal’s blessing, the whole 6ix will be watching.