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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Told Cavaliers In 2018 Not To Draft Him

Originally posted on Hoops Wire | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 3:21 PM ET

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to select Gilgeous-Alexander with the eighth overall pick, but the guard told them he didn’t want to play for them.

“He made himself a lottery pick to the point that Cleveland wanted to draft him,” John Calipari said on Golic & Golic. “And he said, ‘No, I’m not going to Cleveland.’

“I was at the table. I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he ends up going to the Clips. I watched him in a playoff game. That’s when I knew he was going to be in this league a long time.”

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported in 2018 that SGA told Cleveland not to draft him.

Windhorst: I know Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting up draft boards but from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like he wants to play for the #Cavs. He patently refused to work out for them, in fact made a point to tell them he didn’t want to be there.

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 21, 2018

The Cavaliers drafted Collin Sexton in 2018. Sexton spent the first four years of his career in Cleveland before getting traded to the Utah Jazz in the blockbuster Donovan Mitchell trade.

Gilgeous-Alexander has turned himself into a superstar. He won the MVP Award this season after leading the NBA in total points and points per game.

OKC has the top record in the league and is in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

The Clippers traded Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder in the summer of 2019 in the Paul George trade. OKC won that deal in a landslide, as LAC never made the NBA Finals with George, who now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s unknown exactly why Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t want to play for the Cavaliers. LeBron James left Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018, but he departed after the 2018 NBA Draft.

This article first appeared on Hoops Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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