Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Over the past year or so, a number of notable professional athletes have been targeted by thieves who broke into their homes while they were playing. Now, another name has been added to that list in the form of Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
There are plenty of perks that come with getting paid millions of dollars a year to play a sport for a living. With that said, you also run the risk of attracting the attention of nefarious actors who usually don’t have to do a ton of research to figure out where you live and can track your schedule to figure out when you’re not going to be there.
In 2024, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow, Luka Doncic, and Karl-Anthony Towns were among the high-profile NFL, NBA, and NHL players who were targeted in robberies linked to what authorities have dubbed the “South American Theft Group,” a crime ring involving robbers who travel from (and import stolen good back to) countries including Chile, Colombia, and Peru.
Seven alleged members of that syndicate were arrested earlier this year, and while there’s no way to know if they’re connected with the latest crime involving a superstar, it does not seem like a stretch to suggest they’ve struck again.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his home in Oklahoma City robbed while the Thunder were playing the Wizards
On Thursday, the Thunder hosted the Wizards for a showdown in Oklahoma City where the home team improved to 6-0 on the season on the back of the game-high 31 points Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped in the 127-108 win.
According to News9, the contest was still going on at the Paycom Center when someone broke into the guard’s home around 10 miles north of the venue, as the outlet says there was “a heavy police presence” outside his house in the Nichols Hills neighborhood after responding to a break-in that was reported around 10 P.M.
Gilgeous-Alexander was somewhat obviously not home at the time of the incident, and it appears his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter were also at the game when you consider police said it was not occupied when the break-in occurred. They have not released any additional details concerning what (if anything) was taken, and the outlet notes Thunder GM Sam Presti was seen at the scene while authorities were conducting a search of the area.
The NBA and NFL both issued memos advising players to beef up security measures during the initial spate of robberies, and while Gilgeous-Alexander may have heeded that advice, it’s unclear exactly how police were alerted to the break-in in the first place.
This does seem like a problem that isn’t going to go away any time soon, and barring a decision to dispatch guards to the home of every player during a game, it’s hard to think of any tangible solutions when it comes to firmly addressing it.