Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Two-Man MVP Race in Latest ESPN Straw Poll

Oklahoma City could soon have another MVP.

Throughout the 2024-25 season, the Thunder have been the most dominant team in the league and enter the All-Star break with a 44-10 record, tied for the best in the NBA. While the Thunder’s historic defense and impressive depth have been significant to their success, no one has impacted the team more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

After finishing in the top five in MVP voting for the past two seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander might finally be breaking through and earning the trophy. Considered the MVP favorite for much of the season, the Thunder star’s case for the most prestigious award in basketball has been affirmed again.

On Friday, ESPN released its latest straw poll for MVP voting. With 100 media members sending in their MVP ballot through two-thirds of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic stand alone at the top.

Those two combined for all but one of the 200 first and second-place votes. While there is a massive gap between those two and the rest of the pack, there is also a sizeable gap between first and second, with Gilgeous-Alexander earning 70 first-place votes.

This gap also shows how impressive the Thunder and their superstar have been over the past couple of months. Jokic led the first MVP straw poll on Dec. 20 with 57 first-place votes, followed by Gilgeous-Alexander’s 24.

Since the first installment, Oklahoma City has extended its lead at the top of the conference, and Gilgeous-Alexander has had some of the best performances of his career, including three 50-point games.

This season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging a league-leading 32.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.9 steals. Also shooting 35.9% from deep on a career-high 5.7 attempts per game, the 2024 MVP runner-up has extended his shooting profile throughout the year.

If the Thunder can continue to play at this level, Gilgeous-Alexander could become the third player in the past 25 seasons to lead the league in scoring on the team with the best record. He would join James Harden in 2017-18 and Stephen Curry in 2015-16, who each won MVP.

Although Jokic is having another incredible season and is on pace to average a triple-double for the first time in his career, Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to lead the best team in basketball on both ends has given him an opportunity to run away with the award over the final two months.

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