Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Made NBA History With Latest MVP Honor
Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured his second straight MVP award in a landslide vote.
Gilgeous-Alexander earned 83 of the 100 total first-place votes, while Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic finished second, and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama placed third in voting.
The Thunder star became only the seventh player to earn the regular-season MVP award in consecutive seasons before turning 28 years old over the past 40 years. He joins a short list that includes Jokic, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“It’s special,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about joining an exclusive company via ESPN. “All those guys have shaped the game of basketball. All those guys have changed the game and how it’s played and how it was approached before that. To be in just that circle, to be in that conversation, it’s something that I don’t take lightly. I’m super grateful for it.”
Gilgeous-Alexander put together another impressive campaign, where he ranked second in scoring with 31.1 points per game while shooting a career-high 55.3 percent from the floor, along with averaging a career-best 6.6 assists. The Thunder secured the top seed in the Western Conference and the best record in the league at 64-18.
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It adds another prestigious feat to an already impressive resume for Gilgeous-Alexander, who hopes to lead the Thunder to a second straight NBA title. He has further ingrained himself as one of the league’s top players with a trajectory toward a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
