Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won MVP for the first time in his career.
Having finished fifth a couple seasons ago and second last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was finally able to get to the top of the mountain ahead of Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals and a block in 76 games. He led the Thunder to a league-best 68-14 record.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 32.0 points and 6.0 assists per game while shooting at least 50 percent from the field. Jordan accomplished the feat twice (1988-89 and 1989-90).
“Once I became better off the court, my career started to skyrocket and it’s no coincidence” 🗣️#KiaMVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks on how much his personal growth lent to his overall game. pic.twitter.com/iKDjngM7H7
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2025
Jokic certainly gave Gilgeous-Alexander a run for his money, stitching together one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. He averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists,and 1.8 steals in 70 games. He also shot 57.6 percent from the field, including 41.7 percent from three. The Nuggets finished 50-32, a full 18 games behind the Thunder.
The Serbian has now finished among the top two in MVP voting for five consecutive seasons, winning the award three times.
Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the second Canadian to win the award. Steve Nash won MVP in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006.
This is now the seventh straight season a player outside the United States of America has won MVP. The others are Jokic, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
MVP Voting Finishes With Little Surprise
Beyond Jokic, Antetokounmpo was widely expected to finish third and he did so with 88 of 100 third-place votes.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum finished fourth with 84 fourth-place votes. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell was fifth.
Here is how the rest of the MVP voting played out.
SGA MVP Earns A Major Payday
As a result of winning MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander will now be eligible for a Super Max extension worth $380 million over five years. It would start at $65.5 million in 2027-28 and rise to $86.5 million by 2031-32.
It will be very interesting to see how general Sam Presti and the Thunder manage the finances moving forward. Jalen Williams is now an All-Star and will be a restricted free agent in 2026, as will Chet Holmgren.
The Thunder have an avalanche of draft capital to work with, presumably to help navigate the big paydays soon to come.
Presti will surely want to maximize the window Oklahoma City has with an MVP-level player in Gilgeous-Alexander.