Photos: Inside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's extravagant cowboy-themed first birthday for son Ares ahead of NBA playoffs

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder are the favorites to win the title this year and will begin their quest on Sunday. Despite a busy playoff schedule ahead, he still threw a grand birthday party for his son, Ares, who was born on April 25, 2024.

On Saturday, Gilgeous-Alexander had an extravagant cowboy-themed party for Ares. The Thunder star invited some of his teammates, Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, who were all dressed in cowboy attire. The OKC players and their partners gave a sneak peek of the celebration.

Caruso attended the party with his fiancée, Haleigh Broucher. While Caruso wore a black ensemble, Broucher had a denim romper on. They also wore matching cowboy hats.

"Had a root-tootin time at Ares’ first rodeo! 🤠What a perfect event," Caruso's fiancée Haileigh Broucher captioned.

Hartenstein's wife, Kourtney Kellar, also posted some snaps. While she wore a gray jacket over a red dress and matched it with gray cowboy boots, Hartenstein was dressed in denim and a white shirt.

"Ares’ First Rodeo 🤠," Kellar wrote.

Williams was dressed in denim bib overalls. He was in attendance with his girlfriend, Alanna Harris, who wore sky blue overalls.

"Ares’ First Rodeo 🤠 . ***Jaylin’s CANDY cigarette is a paid actor," Harris captioned.

Gilgeous-Alexander's wife, Hailey Summers, shared an adorable snap of their son. Ares sat on his chair in a printed shirt drenched in cake. Behind him was a cowboy-themed cake.

[Credit: IG/@haileysummerss]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's first title quest starts against Grizzlies

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder have never been in a better position to win the NBA title in his entire career. From having a career year, to the Thunder having a historic season, they are the favorites to win the championship, ahead of the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.

The first challenge in front of them is Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, whom they'll face on Sunday for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.

As good as Gilgeous-Alexander has been in the regular season, he already showed last year that he could produce the same numbers in the postseason. In the 2024 playoffs, he averaged 30.2 points per game on 49.6% shooting, including 43.2% from beyond the arc.