Commanders legend has strange fact in common with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just won an NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder, putting him in company with a Washington Commanders legend.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after winning game seven of the NBA Finals. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

A Washington Commanders legend has something in common with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who recently helped his team win its first NBA championship while being named league MVP.

Joe Theismann is synonymous with the Commanders franchise. He was traded to Washington in 1974, years before leading the team to a Super Bowl XVII victory and earning NFL MVP honors.

Gilgeous-Alexander joined him with a feat that only a few players have ever accomplished in the NFL.

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was traded in 2019, years before his MVP season. I wondered how many NFL MVPs were in the same situation — traded, then winning MVP.

Turns out, per @NFLPlus, 9 of them: pic.twitter.com/EXBpAi39dk
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 23, 2025

Theismann began his pro football career in the Canadian Football League (CFL) after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1971. Ironically, it was the Dolphins, the same team Washington would later defeat 27-17 in the Super Bowl, who traded his NFL rights to Washington.

Theismann isn’t the only player to be traded before finding MVP honors. The list includes iconic names like Brett Favre, Steve Young, John Elway, and Marshall Faulk. All Hall of Famers whose careers may have looked very different had they stayed with their original teams.

Theismann is etched in franchise history, and this fun fact only scratches the surface of his impact on the franchise. In 1983, he threw for over 3,700 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading Washington to a 14-2 regular season record. That year, he earned league MVP honors and made his second Pro Bowl appearance.

Theismann’s journey in the NFL, much like Gilgeous-Alexander’s in the NBA, proves that sometimes, the most unexpected moves lead to the biggest payoffs.

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