Further crowning his shining year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Canadian powerhouse took the votes 71-29 against Denver’s Nikola Jokic, according to TNT.
Gilgeous-Alexander put up 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds a game on a nearly 52 percent shooting clip from the field. Oklahoma City had the best record in the NBA with 68 wins and an all-time record for scoring margin. He was so consistent that he scored at least 20 points in 75 games and recorded the longest streak of 20+ point games in a single season since 1964.
“This award means a lot,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “None of it happens without my teammates and our success as a team.”
At age 26, he became the third Thunder player to earn the MVP, after Durant in 2014 and Westbrook in 2017. And he stands as the first Canadian ever to be bestowed this honor and the first non-American victor since Jokic.
Jokic, a three-time MVP, had a career-best year, scoring 29.6 points and grabbing 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game, including a 61-point triple-double, which stands as a record.
The much-maligned Thunder boss and Gilgeous-Alexander stand on a 2-0 record in the Western Conference Finals, dreaming of a finish worthy of a dream season.