Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian and reigning NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder, was named NBA MVP for a second straight year—becoming the 14th player to win back-to-back MVPs. Oklahoma City’s star received 83 of 100 first-place votes, finishing a
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood in the Thunder practice facility on Sunday night. surrounded by teammates and smiling through a moment he called a team effort.. The reigning NBA champion—also a Canadian—was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. a recognition he accepted as proof voters see his value on the league’s best team.
“Basketball’s obviously a team sport. ” Gilgeous-Alexander said Sunday night in a celebration at the Thunder practice facility. surrounded by teammates — all in new Burberry trenchcoats. a gift from the now two-time MVP.. “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.”
The vote put him among NBA history: the win makes him the 18th player to win at least two MVP awards. and the 14th to win them in back-to-back fashion.. It also continued a streak of international MVP winners. marking the eighth consecutive time the league’s MVP was born outside the U.S.. That run started with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (born in Greece. of Nigerian descent) in 2019 and 2020. then Denver’s Nikola Jokic (Serbia) in 2021 and 2022. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (born in Cameroon but has since become a U.S.. citizen) in 2023, and Jokic again in 2024.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s night at the facility wasn’t only about the trophy.. He also shared a large haul of presents with teammates. including personalized golf bags. gift baskets. and very pricey watches—each of which he handed to a player.. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault described the change as incremental. saying Gilgeous-Alexander’s identity hasn’t shifted even as his role has grown.
“Who he is has never changed,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think he’s touched up the edges on his game and on his leadership and on his perspective, just like anybody else that’s coming of age.”
The voting results reflected Oklahoma City’s status as a juggernaut.. Gilgeous-Alexander finished first with 83 of a possible 100 first-place votes.. Jokic was second with 10, and San Antonio’s French centre Victor Wembanyama placed third with five.. Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers was fourth, and Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons was fifth.
Cunningham received two first-place votes—the first by a U.S.-born player since 2021.. Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics was sixth. and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers tied for seventh with one fifth-place vote apiece.. The voting also showed a familiar international pattern: international players went 1-2-3 in the voting for the fifth straight season.
Last season, the order was Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Antetokounmpo. In 2024, it was Jokic, then Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic (Slovenia). In 2023, it was Embiid, then Jokic, then Antetokounmpo. In 2022, it was Jokic, then Embiid, then Antetokounmpo.
The pattern across the league is hard to miss: for four straight seasons. the first three MVP votes have been filled by international players. and Gilgeous-Alexander’s back-to-back win arrives right after Jokic’s repeat in 2024 and Embiid’s placement in 2023—keeping the top of the voting locked to a similar international pipeline.
Looking ahead. Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama are set to face off Monday night when the Thunder and Spurs open Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City.. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is expected at Monday’s game to formally present Gilgeous-Alexander with a trophy for the third time in 12 months—the MVP award last May. the NBA Finals MVP award last June. and now the league’s MVP again.
Jokic’s finish continued an “odd trend” highlighted alongside the voting: those who average a triple-double often don’t win MVP.. The piece notes that Jokic had the seventh instance of a player finishing a season averaging a triple-double—at least 10 points. 10 assists and 10 rebounds per game—by putting up 27.7 points. a league-best 12.9 rebounds and a league-best 10.7 assists per game.. It wasn’t good enough for MVP.. The voting history cited includes Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double four times and winning MVP only once in those years. Oscar Robertson averaging a triple-double in 1961-62 without winning MVP that season. and now Jokic doing it twice without MVPs to show for it. though he has won the award on three other occasions.
Gilgeous-Alexander, for his part, insisted he doesn’t play for individual honours. He emphasized team trophies and how the Thunder’s culture is built for success.
“The way things are run in this organization and this city, it breeds success,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s no coincidence.”
The MVP win also adds to a standout individual run for him this season.. The article says it is Gilgeous-Alexander’s second major individual award this season; he was also voted the league’s Clutch Player of the Year by an overwhelming margin. receiving 96 of 100 first-place votes in that balloting.. That award. it says. paid tribute to how great his performances tend to be in the final five minutes of close games.
His season production was central to the decision. He was second in the league with 31.1 points per game, trailing only Doncic (33.5-point average). He also extended his NBA-record streak of regular season games with at least 20 points to 140 and counting, a run expected to carry into next season.
The description of his style focused on a steadiness both fans and teammates can recognize: he’s portrayed as a mid-range specialist who excels at drawing fouls and isn’t a look-at-me type. with a reputation for thoughtful answers.. It adds that emotions don’t factor into his approach and staying calm is his preferred move.
And while awards have followed, Gilgeous-Alexander pointed back to the group.. “Some of it is just luck,” he said.. “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. from the front office. coaching staff. to the guys that I play on the court with every night.. We all want to see the next man win and do whatever it takes ultimately to win.. We have that common goal.. And yeah, I can’t take credit for that.. It’s more than me, it’s bigger than me.”
“So many NBA players don’t get opportunity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Who knows where I’d be without it.”
Canada Canadian basketball Shai Gilgeous-Alexander NBA MVP Oklahoma City Thunder Nikola Jokic Victor Wembanyama NBA playoffs Western Conference finals