Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on Monday named as the NBA's most valuable player (MVP) of the campaign for a second consecutive season.
The 27-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder point guard came in ahead of Denver's Nikola Jokic and the 22-year-old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama who plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is also the reigning NBA Finals MVP for his exploits in the Thunder's surge to the NBA Finals title in 2025, hailed his teammates for helping him lift his latest prize.
"Hard work obviously, not being satisfied, but the other guys in the room really having my back, night-in, night-out," Gilgeous-Alexander told Amazon Prime.
"It's a long season, full of ups and downs, injuries, things like that. So those guys, just tying their boots up and going to war every night for me and with me.
"The NBA at times can seem like a business and a job, but these guys really make it seem just like fun, and what it was like when I played basketball at just a young age. I think that's why myself and the rest of the guys have had success."
Gilgeous-Alexander received 83 first-choice votes in the ballot of 100 journalists and broadcasters who cover the NBA on his way to a score of 939 points.
Wembanyama in third place
Jokic was second with 634 points and Wembanyama, who last month won the NBA best defensive player of the 2025 season, notched up 569 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander became only the 14th player to win consecutive titles since the inception of the prize in 1956.
On Monday night, Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama will come face-to-face when their teams start the best-of-seven series for the NBA Western Conference title.
Oaklahoma reached the showdown after 4-0 romps past the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers in the quarters and semi-final.
"The Spurs are obviously a really good team," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "They've been right behind us all year, so we obviously don't take them lightly in the slightest.
"To make it this far you have to be really good," added the Canadian. "For us, it's about us playing our brand of basketball, doing it at the highest level. As long as we can do that, we'll live with the results."
The Spurs have not featured in a series for the Western Conference crown since 2017. They disposed of the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves to secure their chance.
"Oaklahoma haven't lost a game in the play-offs so that tells you everything," said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson ahead of the first game in Oaklahoma.
"We'll have to be at our very best to be competitive and in with a chance of winning the series."
