Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA MVP for a second straight season, finishing ahead of Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, despite missing 11 games with a collapsed lung, placed fifth in MVP voting after averaging 23.9 points and
The NBA’s MVP race closed with Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claiming the award again on Sunday night, while Detroit’s Cade Cunningham ended up fifth in the final voting tally.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 939 points and 83 first-place votes from a global media panel.. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was next with 634 points, followed by San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama at 569.. Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers came in fourth with 250 points, and Cunningham registered 117 points, including two first-place votes.
Cunningham’s season, now entering its fifth year, has been the driving force for the Detroit Pistons.. He averaged 23.9 points and posted a career-high 9.9 assists.. Despite that impact, he missed 11 games late in the season after a collapsed lung.. His overall production also included 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
The voting results also leave Cunningham with milestones beyond regular-season numbers.. He earned his second All-Star berth and has the Pistons as the top seed in the Eastern Conference semifinals. where Detroit is in Game 7.. His place in the rankings comes as Gilgeous-Alexander moves deeper into the postseason as well.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points and led the NBA in plus-minus at +788 while guiding the Thunder to an NBA-best 64-18 record. Oklahoma City is set to face San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.
The season numbers line up in a clear pattern: Gilgeous-Alexander’s 939 points and 83 first-place votes match a Thunder record of 64-18 and an NBA-leading plus-minus of +788. while Cunningham’s 117 points include two first-place votes despite him missing 11 games late in the year with a collapsed lung.
For Cunningham, the MVP finish still reads like a story of momentum and timing. With Detroit reaching Game 7 as the conference’s top seed, the regular-season recognition closes behind him as attention shifts to what comes next in the Eastern Conference.
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Cade Cunningham Detroit Pistons Oklahoma City Thunder Nikola Jokic Victor Wembanyama Luka Doncic NBA playoffs