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Ryan Phillips

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wins First NBA MVP Award

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his first NBA MVP award in 2025. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named NBA MVP for the first time.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard beat out fellow finalists Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to win the award. Gilgeous-Alexander finished runner-up in 2024 behind Jokic and finished fifth in 2023. ESPN's Shams Charania was the first to report the news.

The 26-year-old led the NBA in scoring during the 2024–25 season, averaging a career-best 32.7 points per game. He added 5.0 rebounds and a career-best 6.4 assists per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field and a career-high 37.5% from three-point range.

Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder finished with the NBA's best regular season record (68–14) and the budding superstar has led his team to the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander along with Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks and two first-round pick swaps from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Paul George on July 10, 2019. It was an incredible trade for Oklahoma City, as SGA has become a legitimate superstar.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wins First NBA MVP Award.

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