Oklahoma City’s star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has once again proven his excellence by securing the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award for the second consecutive year. This accolade marks him as the 18th player to earn at least two MVP awards and the 14th to achieve them in consecutive years.
During a celebratory event at the Thunder’s practice facility, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed gratitude to his teammates, stating, “Basketball is obviously a team sport. All the numbers, all the accolades, everything that I do on the court, if we won 10 games I wouldn’t be in this conversation. So, thank you guys so much. I love you guys.” His sentiment was matched with gifts for his teammates, including Burberry trenchcoats, personalized golf bags, gift baskets, and premium watches.
The MVP win is significant as Gilgeous-Alexander continues a trend where the league’s top individual honor goes to players born outside the United States. The streak began with Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece in 2019 and 2020, Nikola Jokic from Serbia in 2021 and 2022, and Joel Embiid from Cameroon in 2023. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian, takes the crown for 2025 and 2026.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised him, saying, “Who he is has never changed. I think he’s touched up the edges on his game, his leadership, and his perspective.” In the MVP voting, Gilgeous-Alexander received 83 first-place votes out of 100. Jokic followed in second with 10 votes, and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio secured third with five votes.
The list also included Luka Doncic in fourth and Cade Cunningham in fifth, who gained two first-place votes, marking a rare occurrence for a U.S.-born player. Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics came in sixth, with Kawhi Leonard and Donovan Mitchell tying for seventh.
On Monday, the Thunder and Spurs will face off, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver set to present the MVP trophy to Gilgeous-Alexander. He has previously won the Finals MVP and the Clutch Player of the Year, showing excellence in the last minutes of tight games.
Gilgeous-Alexander displays an admirable consistency, ranking second in points with 31.1 per game. He extends his record of regular-season games scoring 20 or more points to 140 and counting.
Despite his success, he remains humble, believing the Thunder’s organizational approach fosters success. “Some of it is just luck. As an NBA player, you have no control over other grown men in this business and I’m just lucky enough to be surrounded by great human beings,” he remarked.
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