Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wins NBA MVP Award
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024-2025 season, according to a report by ESPN. The announcement was made on Wednesday night, following the Thunder’s Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals.
Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, received 71 out of 100 first-place votes, with Denver’s Nikola Jokic finishing as the runner-up with 29 first-place votes. Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was third, receiving 88 third-place votes. The ESPN report stated that Gilgeous-Alexander’s impressive season, which saw him lead the league with 32.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting from the floor, earned him his first NBA MVP award.
The Thunder recognised the honour with a news conference at the team’s practice facility, where Gilgeous-Alexander was flanked by his Oklahoma City teammates, who wore Rolex watches he bought as a token of his appreciation. “I always thought that I could be a really good player because I had seen what putting your head down and working and controlling what you control can do for you,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who became emotional while thanking his wife. “I made tremendous strides, but I never thought this was going to happen. I dreamt about it as a kid, but as a kid, it’s a fake dream. But as the days go on and you realise that you get closer to your dream, it’s hard to not freak out. It’s hard to not be a 6-year-old kid again. And I think that’s what’s allowed me to achieve it. I tried to just not focus on it and just worry about what’s gotten to this place,” he said, as quoted in the ESPN report.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s historic campaign helped the Thunder break the NBA record for point differential (plus-12.9 per game) and finish with 18 more victories than the Nuggets. According to ESPN, Gilgeous-Alexander joined an exclusive club by leading the league in scoring for a team that won 60 or more games. This is the 10th instance that has been accomplished in NBA history. The only time that player did not win the MVP was in 1996-97, when Utah’s Karl Malone won the honour over Jordan.
The ESPN report also highlighted Gilgeous-Alexander’s impressive statistics, including his 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. His teammate, Kenrich Williams, praised Gilgeous-Alexander’s confidence, saying, “His value is his confidence. His confidence that he has in himself and the confidence that he instills in every one of his teammates, including the coaches.”
This was the third straight season that Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged at least 30 points while shooting better than 50%. The only other players who have done that for three straight seasons — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Antetokounmpo, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jordan — all won multiple MVPs. Gilgeous-Alexander is the third player in franchise history to win an MVP, joining Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017).
After being named a first-team All-NBA selection the past two seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander had already qualified to be eligible to sign an unprecedented, four-year, $294 million supermax extension this summer. It would be the deal with the highest annual value ($73.3 million) in league history.
The NBA MVP voting results, as reported by ESPN, saw Boston’s Jayson Tatum finish fourth, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell fifth, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James sixth. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards tied for seventh, while Golden State’s Stephen Curry was ninth. Three players — the LA Clippers’ James Harden, New York’s Jalen Brunson, and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley — tied for 10th.
According to ESPN, Gilgeous-Alexander’s impressive season earned him his first NBA MVP award, and he becomes the third player in franchise history to achieve this honour.
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