“It’s honestly just a huge full-circle moment for me,” the reigning NBA MVP tells GQ of his new luxury fragrance campaign.
ByYang-Yi Goh
September 10, 2025
Shai GilgeousAlexander Is the New Face of YSL Beauty
Courtesy of YSL Beauty
Save this story
Save this story
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having one hell of a summer. A month ago, the reigning NBA MVP—and reigning Finals MVP, for that matter—received the keys to his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, which also unveiled a street named after him. Last Thursday, he dropped his first-ever signature Converse sneaker, which quickly sold out. (His cousin, Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, camped out for 12 hours to be the first in line to buy a pair.) He then went on The Tonight Show to promote the shoes and dress Jimmy Fallon up in one of his legendary tunnel fits. Oh, yeah, and a couple weeks back, he also got to chop it up with fellow Canadian icon Nardwuar. Doot doola doot do, indeed.
Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder star is making yet another major announcement: He’s the new US voice for MYSLF Absolu, the latest fragrance for men from YSL Beauty. “Obviously, YSL is a staple of the fashion world,” Gilgeous-Alexander tells GQ. “It’s the pinnacle of luxury, edge, and confidence. I remember going to the department store with my mom as a kid and always seeing YSL in the fragrance section, so it’s honestly just a huge full-circle moment for me.”
In Gilgeous-Alexander, YSL Beauty are aligning themselves with one of the NBA’s most dynamic young talents on and off the court, whose righteous personal style is every bit as smooth as his silky step-back jumper. “You can’t look the part, feel the part, and not smell the part, you know what I mean?” says the 27-year-old. “When I look good, feel good, and smell good, I just perform better naturally because I’m confident. I’m leaving the house with my chest high, a different swag in my walk.”
His first campaign for the brand is sharp and effective: Shai in a fitted black tank against a stark white background, a gleaming bottle of MYSLF Absolu in his hand. “It was very natural,” he says of the shoot. “I love how they just allowed me to be myself and kind of put my imprint on the campaign.”
A few weeks from now, Gilgeous-Alexander will suit back up for the Thunder as they begin their title defense, with the hope of becoming the NBA’s first back-to-back champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2018. But for now, he’s just basking in the afterglow of a career-defining year.
“It’s pretty surreal to wrap my head around all the things that I’ve accomplished,” he says. “I used to walk the streets of Hamilton, just going through everyday life, and now there’s a street there named after me. It’s just so cool that a little bit of hard work, perseverance, and determination has taken me this far.”