Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has repeated as the NBA Most Valuable Player, the report says, joining an exclusive group of players who have won consecutive MVP honors.
The report says Gilgeous-Alexander is only the fifth active player to win the award in back-to-back seasons, joining Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry and LeBron James. The report adds that every retired player to win consecutive MVPs has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, listing Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
Per the report, Jokic finished second in the voting with 10 first-place votes and 48 second-place votes, while Victor Wembanyama received five first-place votes and 38 second-place votes. The report notes this is the sixth straight year Jokic has finished in the top two in MVP balloting.
The report provides season details for Gilgeous-Alexander, saying the 27-year-old ranked second in the NBA in scoring at 31.1 points per game while shooting a career-best 55.3 percent from the floor and averaging a career-high 6.6 assists per game. The Thunder finished 64-18, the NBA’s best record for the second consecutive season, per the report. The report also says Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning Finals MVP and won the league’s Clutch Player of the Year award, leading the NBA with 175 clutch points, 16 go-ahead clutch field goals and a clutch plus-minus of plus-93.
The report says this marks the fourth straight season Gilgeous-Alexander has finished in the top five in MVP voting, with a fifth-place finish in 2022-23 and a second-place finish in 2023-24 before his consecutive wins. The report adds that he became the first player since Michael Jordan to average at least 30 points per game in four consecutive seasons.
Per the report, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will face Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, which begin with Monday’s Game 1 in Oklahoma City.
