The case for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was simple. He’s the best player on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had the best record this season and set an NBA record for average margin of victory. If that wasn’t enough, he also won the scoring title.
That’s an MVP year.
Gilgeous-Alexander was announced Wednesday as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, his first time winning the award. It’s now seven straight years that a player born outside the U.S. won MVP, extending the longest such streak in league history.
“You try so hard throughout the season to not think about it and just worry about playing basketball and getting better and trying to win games,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on TNT when the results were unveiled. “But as a competitor and as a kid dreaming about the game, it’s always in the back of your mind.”
It ultimately was a two-person race. Gilgeous-Alexander got 71 first-place votes and 29 second-place votes; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić got the other 29 first-place votes and the other 71 second-place votes.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was third, getting 88 of the 100 possible third-place votes.
Gilgeous-Alexander — the No. 11 pick in the 2018 draft — averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and five rebounds this season, leading the Thunder to a 68-14 record. They outscored teams by 12.9 points per game, the biggest margin in league history.
He becomes the second Canadian to win MVP; Steve Nash won it twice.
“His value is his confidence,” said Kenrich Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder teammate for the last five seasons. “His confidence that he has in himself and the confidence that he instills in every one of his teammates, including the coaches.”
Jokić — winner of three of the last four MVP awards — was second despite a season for the ages. He averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists, the first center to average a triple-double and the first player since all of those stats were tracked to finish in the top three in all three categories.
It was the sixth instance of a player averaging a triple-double — at least 10 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds per game. Russell Westbrook did it four times and Oscar Robertson once, but only one of those seasons led to an MVP win.
“He’s a special player,” Jokić said of Gilgeous-Alexander earlier this week when the Thunder eliminated the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. “His shot selection, his shot capability … he’s always there. He’s a special player.”
Antetokounmpo, of Greek and Nigerian descent, averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists. He started this run of international players winning MVP in 2019 and 2020.
Jokić, a Serbian, won in 2021, 2022 and 2024. And Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but since became a U.S. citizen, won the award in 2023.
Now it’s Gilgeous-Alexander — a son of Ontario, where hockey reigns — carrying the MVP flag. He was fifth in the voting two years ago, second behind Jokić last year and used being so close to the award as fuel this season.
“There are voters every year. That will never change,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And last year, all it meant was that more people thought I shouldn’t have won than should have won. This year I wanted to change the narrative and have it flipped. I think I did a good job of that.”
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was fourth, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was fifth and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James was sixth — the 20th time in his 22-year career that he received MVP votes.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards tied for seventh, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was ninth and three players — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden and Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley — tied for 10th.
The MVP award, like most other NBA honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly before the start of the playoffs.
