Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured the 2025-26 NBA MVP with 83 first-place votes, becoming just the 14th player to win the award in consecutive seasons. Nikola Jokic finished second with 10 first-place votes, while Victor Wembanyama took 5. The Thunder star’s run
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just reclaim the NBA Most Valuable Player trophy — he did it with a margin that made the voting feel like a break from the pack.
The NBA announced Gilgeous-Alexander received 83 first-place votes to win the 2025-26 MVP. Nikola Jokic finished second with 10 first-place votes, while Victor Wembanyama claimed 5 first-place votes.
With the league’s top individual honor in his hands again, Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th NBA player ever to win MVP for a second straight season. He also collected a level of support that placed him far ahead of his rivals, with Jokic coming in second by 73 first-place votes.
The size of the victory mattered, but it also landed on the back of the Thunder’s postseason work. Oklahoma City and Gilgeous-Alexander have not lost at all during the Western Conference Playoffs, sweeping the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.
At the podium after accepting the award, Gilgeous-Alexander pointed to the Thunder’s turnaround as the moment belief turned real. “I really, really, really knew they were real when we sucked for three years and they didn’t go anywhere. That’s when I realized they really love us,” he said.
That loyalty — and the way Oklahoma City has translated it into results — is also part of what made the MVP win land with added weight.. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2026 triumph does more than put him alongside Michael Jordan as multiple winners; it also shatters a Jordan benchmark for a guard who averaged more than 30 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers this season were cited as part of the achievement: 53.9% field goal percentage and 31.1 points per game. Jordan previously held the best mark among guards who averaged more than 30 points per game.
The voting outcome. the playoff clean sheets. and the way the numbers were framed at the ceremony all line up in the same story the league’s awards committee appears to have followed.. First-place votes were heavily concentrated on Gilgeous-Alexander — and the Thunder’s undefeated Western Conference run. including sweeps of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. sits directly behind the postseason momentum that was brought up alongside his MVP claim.
Oklahoma City also keeps another first for its own history, with Gilgeous-Alexander becoming the Thunder’s first-ever consecutive MVP winner.
NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Oklahoma City Thunder Nikola Jokic Victor Wembanyama Western Conference playoffs Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Lakers