Nickeil Alexander-Walker is Proven

Atlanta Hawks Guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker becomes the first Canadian player to win Most Improved.

(TORONTO) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker was named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Improved player on Friday Night, beating out finalist Jalen Duren and Deni Adjiva to become the first Canadian to win the award.

Alexander-Walker was a key signing for the Hawks this past offseason, providing an instant presence on both ends of the court. He scored a career-best 20.8 PPG, doubling his average from just a season ago with the Timberwolves. Alexander-Walker shot a career-best 46% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 90% from the free-throw line.

Stats aside, Alexander-Walker has provided the Hawks with a much-needed boost amid the January Trae Young trade, which made him a full-time starter. “Going into the summer I was kind of nervous because I was getting a lot of love from the Hawks organization,” Alexander-Walker said.

In the first year of a four-year, $62 million contract with the Hawks, Alexander-Walker has solidified himself as a reliable go-to option. He becomes the second Hawks player to win the Most Improved Player award after Dyson Daniels won last season.

Alexander-Walker’s win comes just days after his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, was named a finalist for MVP honors and won the Clutch Player of the Year Award.

"It's good to make the family proud," Alexander-Walker said. "When you're Shai's cousin, a lot of times you get referred to as Shai's cousin. And so now being recognized for being Nickeil Alexander-Walker feels great. I talk to Shai all the time... [he's] my brother and my twin, and I couldn't be any more proud for anyone's success.”

In his seventh season, Alexander-Walker has become a key contributor who helped the Hawks be a contending playoff team. In 78 games, he scored in double figures 76 times and set a single-season franchise record with 251 three-pointers made.