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It was the Yorkville retail location where eager sneaker fans would line up to get their hands on Gilgeous-Alexander’s first signature shoe, the Shai 001 Butter model.

Some arrived at 2 a.m., others around two or three hours later, but Alexander-Walker’s game plan was different. He went home, took a shower, gathered his camping equipment and drove straight to Kith Toronto. He arrived at 10:30 p.m., ready to spend the night waiting in line with a group of his friends.

“Everyone who knows me knows that the Paul Newman Daytona (watch) and now the Shai 1’s have become uniform for me,” said Alexander-Walker, who already had the shoes on while waiting in line. “You see those things, you’re probably going to see me.”

Despite being given a pair of the shoes during the NBA season, the Scarborough native waited close to 12 hours, enduring pouring rain early Thursday morning. Alexander-Walker even had his barber pop by to give him a haircut to pass the time. 

Before becoming a household name in the NBA — Alexander-Walker recently signed a four-year, $62-million (U.S.) contract with the Atlanta Hawks — the 27-year-old used to camp outside for the latest shoe releases as a kid.

“I used to love camping out, talking to people, the cold, just thugging (it out) because you really love the shoe,” he said.

He and Gilgeous-Alexander grew up together as kids and watched each other accomplish their dreams of playing in the NBA. They went head to head in the Western Conference final last season.

“In my head I’m like, ‘If I camp out for a pair of Jordans and I’ve never met Michael Jordan, imagine sharing this moment with someone I’m worlds close to and live out that childhood feeling,’” Alexander-Walker said.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s first signature shoe officially hit the market at 10 a.m. Thursday and, within minutes, sold out on Converse, the Nike app and several Kith locations.

While fans clamoured for the limited supply, Gilgeous-Alexander spent about an hour trading in his job as an NBA player to be a retail employee, cashing out and interacting with fans at the register.

Some purchasers left with prizes that included unreleased Converse shoes, tickets to watch Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City play this upcoming season and gift cards.

The release of his shoe comes after a monumental season in which the Hamilton star was named the most valuable player of the NBA regular season and the NBA Finals. He led Oklahoma City to its first championship. 

Gilgeous-Alexander was recently awarded a key to the city in Hamilton, joining wrestler (Stone Cold) Steve Austin as the only recipients of the honour.

“He’s on a generational run right now,” Alexander-Walker said. “He’s going to continue on this journey and this ride of success, embarking on growth, embarking on sharing another element of himself with the world — which is his creative side.”