SGA’s case for Athlete of the Year – Could it cash the longest ticket you’ve ever seen?

Dreams. We all have them.

Some dream of being a doctor, others dream of winning the Super Bowl, I dream of cashing parlays so big they make you stop in your tracks.

And if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is named 2025 Time Athlete of the year, I’m going to do just that.

 Back in January, I put together a simple +191553 five-leg same game parlay+ on FanDuel before my head hit the pillow.

Aryna Sabalenka O 2.5 Aces + Madison Keys O 3.5 Aces +174

Will Wiarton Willie see his shadow: Yes -195

Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show first song: Squabble Up +380 

Time Athlete of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +9500 

Put it all together and you have a glorious SGP+ with odds of over 1900-1 

Ok, it wasn’t simple at all, and the 1915-1 odds indicate just how unlikely it is that this article is being written. But we’re here and have the sweat of a lifetime needing just SGA (who now sits at +390) to hit for a big winner. 

Before I take a look at a few people standing in SGA’s way from winning Time Athlete of the Year in 2025 – and giving me my most absurd payout of my gambling life – let me explain why his odds have moved from 95-1 to +390. 

SGA JOINS ELITE COMPANY 

It’d be almost impossible to have a better season in the NBA than Gilgeous-Alexander did in 2025. 

The Hamilton, Ont., native led his team to the best record in the NBA this season while winning the scoring title at 32.7 points per game. 

He became the first Canadian since Steve Nash in 2006 to win NBA MVP, but thanks to his postseason success, he joined one of the more exclusive lists in NBA history. 

After the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA Title, Gilgeous-Alexander was named Finals MVP, making him just the fourth player in league history to win regular season MVP, the scoring title, and Finals MVP in the same season. 

SGA joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971), Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) and Shaquille O'Neal (2000) on the exclusive list. 

Now that we have a good understanding of SGA’s historic season, let’s dive into three names I’m worried about clipping him for the award, even though one of them isn’t listed in the market. 

Juan Soto +340 

I know Soto signed his record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets Dec. 11, 2024, but the story of Soto inking the largest contract in the history of North American sports is still extremely noteworthy. 

The impact from Soto’s contract on the market has already been felt with Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signing a contract that might have not been possible before Soto reset the position player free agent market. 

Soto had an odd first few weeks to begin the season, and failed to make the All-Star team for the first time since 2022. Still, with the Mets likely making the postseason, it’ll give Soto a chance to shine once again on the game’s biggest stage. 

If he’s able to lead the Mets to their first World Series appearance since 2015, I can see the fine people of Time wanting to spotlight his success on the field with the impact he’s made off it on the business side. 

Aaron Judge +2200  

Sticking with baseball, we have Soto’s former teammate Aaron Judge at a longer price of 22-1 which has caught my eye. 

Judge has been as good as advertised in 2025 and sits as the clear favourite to win American League MVP at -1500 as we enter the second half of the season. 

As of July 9, Judge leads the MLB in hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and WAR. 

If Judge is able to follow-up another MVP season with a postseason that resembles his regular season success, he could put himself right in the same conversation as SGA. And if he’s able to help the Yankees win the World Series they fell just short of last year, Gilgeous-Alexander might have a pretty tough opponent.

Rory McIlroy N/A 

Going off the board for my final name to consider for this award is golfer Rory McIlroy. 

McIlroy stole sporting headlines across the world in April with his win at the Masters. 

The win gave McIlroy that Green Jacket he has looked for his entire career, but also made him just the sixth men’s golfer to complete the career grand slam by winning all four majors. 

What makes McIlroy so intriguing is the opportunity in front of him as he closes out 2025. 

The Open Championship tees off next week at Royal Portrush Golf Club, located about an hour from McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood, Northern Ireland. 

For McIlroy, an Open Championship at Royal Portrush is a home game and a very rare opportunity to win a major on home soil. 

Once the Open is done, McIlroy’s main focus will shift to the Ryder Cup, where he will try to lead Europe to its first win in the U.S. since 2012. 

Success at those two events, paired with his Masters win in April gives McIlroy a very real chance in my opinion to come out of nowhere and win Time Athlete of the Year. 

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And there you have it, for me those are the three biggest threats in this market. I don’t see a great case for Josh Allen (+320), Max Verstappen (+340), or Patrick Mahomes (+430) as the only other players in this market listed shorter than 5-1.

In a year with no Olympics and no major international soccer events… this award suddenly feels like it’s SGA’s to lose.