Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA MVP
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
The Hamilton, Ont., native beat out Nikola Jokic after he finished runner-up to the Denver Nuggets star a year ago, joining Steve Nash as the only Canadian to win the award. Nash won the award in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was also nominated for the 2024-25 MVP award alongside SGA and Jokic.
An official announcement will come later on Wednesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, had been the heavy favourite to win MVP as the season went on. He finished as the NBA’s leading scorer at 32.7 points per game while shooting .519 from the field and .375 from beyond the arc. He also dished out 6.4 assists and grabbed 5.0 rebounds a night.
Despite all the individual success, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s success as a team was arguably just as impressive. SGA led the Thunder to the best record in the NBA at 68-14, winning 11 more games than they did in 2023-24 when they also finished atop the Western Conference. OKC also had the top net rating (+12.8) in the league by a wide margin.
While the MVP is voted on at the conclusion of the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder haven’t let up in the playoffs. They picked up a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round and defeated the 2023 champion Nuggets in seven games in the Western Conference semi-final this past weekend. On Tuesday night, the Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven conference final. Gilgeous-Alexander shook off a cold start shooting-wise to finish with a game-high 31 points and nine assists in the Thunder’s lopsided win.
Since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle permanently in 2008, the Thunder have made the NBA Finals just once, falling to the Miami Heat in 2012.