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When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped onto the stage to accept his 2024–25 NBA MVP award, the moment was supposed to be about him. It quickly became something else. The Oklahoma City Thunder star turned the spotlight toward his wife, Hailey Summers, delivering a tearful, heartfelt tribute that moved not only the room, but basketball fans across the world, per the NYPost.
As he spoke, Shai paused several times, overcome with emotion. “The one and only Hailey Summers,” he began, choking up while looking at his wife and their baby son Ares seated in the crowd. “You were the first person to show me what love really meant, what sacrifice really meant.” He couldn’t hide the tears or the gratitude. “I wouldn’t be the man I am, I wouldn’t be the player I am, I wouldn’t be the father I am without you.”
The moment was raw and powerful. It turned a career milestone into a love story, and it left a question hanging in the air: who exactly is Hailey Summers?
Beyond the Spotlight
While Gilgeous-Alexander’s star has exploded in the NBA, Summers has largely remained out of the headlines. Yet her own athletic journey and quiet resilience make her story worth telling.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Summers grew up in a sports-loving family. Her siblings Taylor and Will also played soccer and basketball, making competition and teamwork part of daily life. At St. Mary School, she led both the soccer and basketball teams to city championships. That drive and versatility carried her to the University at Albany, where she earned a spot on the school’s soccer team and made an immediate impact.
Summers played as a defender for five years with the Great Danes, logging 56 caps, scoring once, and assisting on three goals. Her real value, though, was in the intangibles. She was a relentless presence on defense and a steady leader who served as team captain from 2018 through her final collegiate season in 2021.
During that time, she helped Albany win the America East Women’s Soccer Championship in 2018 and earned a place on the America East All-Rookie Team. Her leadership extended beyond the field. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2020 and carried a reputation for being as dependable in the classroom as she was on the pitch.
When she officially retired from soccer in November 2021, Summers posted a farewell message on Instagram that was equal parts gracious and nostalgic. “Five years later… thank you soccer for everything, but most importantly thank you for bringing me the best of friends I could ask for,” she wrote.
Her life took a different turn soon after, but she never left the world of competitive sports completely behind. Instead, she became the fiercest supporter and most honest critic of her partner, Shai.
Love, Loyalty, and No Filter
Summers and Gilgeous-Alexander began dating in 2016. They didn’t meet in the United States, even though Shai played college ball at Kentucky and she went to school in New York. The two were introduced through a mutual friend group in Toronto and quickly became inseparable.
After years of building a life together, they got engaged in June 2023. They married on Valentine’s Day in 2024 and welcomed their son, Ares, shortly afterward. The couple has largely kept their relationship private, but key moments — like their son’s birthday post earlier this year — show the deep love that connects them. “One already? Where does the time go? Happy birthday to our little man, you complete us,” the caption read.
Still, Summers isn’t just Shai’s partner at home. She is also one of the few people he listens to without question on the court. In a revealing 2024 interview with Marc Spears of Andscape, Gilgeous-Alexander explained just how influential she is to his game.
“brutally honest,” he said. “She played basketball. She sees things. If my mindset is off, she makes sure I know. If I’m not being aggressive, she’ll straight up ask, ‘What’s the point of being out there?’ And I know she’s right.”
For an MVP with millions of fans and an entire franchise riding on his shoulders, those reminders hit differently when they come from the person who knows him best. “She doesn’t sugarcoat it,” he added. “She has no reason to. [Summers] knows me better than anyone.”
That kind of feedback loop, where love meets accountability, seems to have shaped not just Shai’s game, but his growth as a man. He led the league this season with 32.7 points per game and powered the Thunder to a 1–0 lead over the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. But his speech made it clear that none of it matters to him more than the people waiting for him after the buzzer sounds.
The MVP Behind the MVP
Hailey Summers may not be a celebrity or a viral name, but what she represents is something even more valuable — the unseen effort behind greatness. She doesn’t post constantly or chase the public eye. Instead, she’s quietly held down her family, supported a generational talent, and still found ways to stay true to herself.
The night Shai accepted his MVP award, the couple and their son celebrated on the court after Oklahoma City’s 114–88 win. Summers later shared the MVP news on her Instagram Story with a few simple emojis and a photo of Ares in a tiny “MVP” sweatshirt.
No need for words. Everyone could already feel what mattered most.
