If this year's Western Conference finals weren't exciting enough, with the Anthony Edwards-led Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-helmed Oklahoma City Thunder, the familial dynamic at play between both teams will certainly add another element of intrigue to the series, kicking off Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m.ET.
Indeed, in a fun turn of events, SGA will be squaring up against his cousin, Minnesota guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, as both teams compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander briefly commented on the impending battle after OKC clinched the win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
"It'll be very fun," he said, via Brandon Rahber of Daily Thunder. "It's hard to even explain. If you know how close we are, he's like my second brother. We've been through every stage of life together. ... It's very special. ... But I’m gonna try to take his head off for sure."
That said, Shai wasn't the only one with a playfully fierce competitive message. On Tuesday, Alexander-Walker revealed his mom's funny four-word text to SGA's dad after the WCF was set.
"After I think it was Sunday, my mom called me and she told me she texted [SGA's] dad saying, 'Oh, it's war now,' or something," the guard told reporters, laughing.
"It's all love at the end of the day, but it's really cool," he continued. "It's a real cool feeling. If I go on my phone, it's the only thing I see. Especially from friends and family back home."
Still, though, the guard has got his eyes on one thing and only thing only—advancing.
"I think 10 years from now, 20 years from now, I'll be able to really appreciate the moment for what it was and to know what we were able to accomplish," he added. "In this time, the only thing I care about is making sure the Wolves get four wins."
Nickeil Alexander-Walker reveals what his mom texted to his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s dad once the Wolves-Thunder Western Conference finals was set: “Oh, it’s war now” pic.twitter.com/Jzlysji3sd
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 20, 2025
With roughly three hours to go, the Thunder are slotted as seven-point favorites in Game 1. But as we all know too well, anything can happen after tip-off.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as SGA's Dad Got Funny 4-Word Text From Nickeil Alexander-Walker's Mom Ahead of WCF.
