OKC Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Earns NBA Most Valuable Player Award

It was an announcement that came much later than expected, but the outcome was never in question. Greatness has been achieved, as yet another Oklahoma City Thunder player has earned the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award. Following a historic season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has officially been crowned as MVP of the league, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. He beat out Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the honor.

The 26-year-old superstar has put together a phenomenal season, not only leading the league in scoring, but he also led the Thunder to its best regular season in its history and the best in the NBA this season. Oklahoma City went 68-14 and logged the highest point differential in the history of the league, while putting together a top-five record all-time. It was a truly historic regular season from the Thunder, fueled by Gilgeous-Alexander at the helm.

Along the way, the Thunder superstar notched the highest individual plus/minus in NBA history, which was a function of his two-way impact. Gilgeous-Alexander was extremely efficient on the offensive end while also notching a block and a steal per game on defense. He made those around him better, improving as a facilitator and getting the most out of every teammate he shared the floor with, which is important for any player considered the most valuable.

Simply put, when he was on the floor, the Thunder was historically dominant. Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself as a face of the league and the franchise cornerstone in OKC. He’s firmly considered one of the best players in the entire world at this point.

Gilgeous-Alexander became the third MVP in Thunder history, and the first in nearly a decade.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 2024-25 season (26 years old)
• Kevin Durant: 2013–14 season (25 years old)
• Russell Westbrook: 2016–17 season (28 years old)

With this honor, Gilgeous-Alexander continues to climb the franchise ranks as one of the best players in Thunder history. He’s a single championship away from being the most important player in Oklahoma City history, but even beyond that, the vast majority of NBA MVPs ultimately end up making the Hall of Fame.

There are also financial implications to Gilgeous-Alexander earning this honor, as he will now be eligible for a super max extension of $293 million over four years this offseason or a five-year, $380M extension the following in 2026. The latter would make Gilgeous-Alexander the first-ever NBA player to earn $80 million in a single season.

While this is a regular season accolade, Gilgeous-Alexander has extended his dominance into the playoffs and has Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals with a 1-0 lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He led the Thunder to a series victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets last round, keeping OKC’s championship hopes alive. Jokic had won three of the last four MVP awards before this year, so that was a milestone victory. Ironically enough, that series was also against the Thunder’s last MVP before Gilgeous-Alexander, as Russell Westbrook was a rotation piece for Denver in this recent series.

While winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award is the highest honor a player can individually receive, Gilgeous-Alexander is more focused on the bigger prize — winning an NBA Championship this season. He’s just seven wins away from making that happen, which would truly make this one of the most impressive individual seasons in recent history.