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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wins First NBA MVP Award
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named NBA MVP for the first time.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard beat out fellow finalists Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to win the award. Gilgeous-Alexander finished runner-up in 2024 behind Jokic and finished fifth in 2023. ESPN's Shams Charania was the first to report the news.
The 26-year-old led the NBA in scoring during the 2024–25 season, averaging a career-best 32.7 points per game. He added 5.0 rebounds and a career-best 6.4 assists per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field and a career-high 37.5% from three-point range.
Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder finished with the NBA's best regular season record (68–14) and the budding superstar has led his team to the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander along with Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks and two first-round pick swaps from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Paul George on July 10, 2019. It was an incredible trade for Oklahoma City, as SGA has become a legitimate superstar.
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.