NBA
SGA Claims His MVP Is ‘Just As Much His’ As It Is For Thunder Co-Star Jalen Williams
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated4 hours ago on June 23, 2025
There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that the Thunder wouldn’t have been able to win their first-ever championship without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court. Not only is the superstar the league’s MVP, but he also won the Finals MVP after averaging 21.6 points in the series against the Pacers.
Nevertheless, SGA felt he had too much spotlight over him and wanted to share the recognition with his co-star Jalen Williams, who had a breakout season in Oklahoma City this year. The young forward deservingly earned his first All-Star selection this year, and was fundamental during the team’s playoff run.
“Jalen Williams is a once in a lifetime player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on the podium during the ESPN broadcast. “Without him, without his performances, without his big-time moments, with all his big-time shotmaking and defending, everything he brings to this team—we don’t win this championship.”
The 26-year-old then shared a bold statement, sharing the honor of being the MVP with Jalen. “This is just as much my MVP as it is his. We’ll share this one for a very long time,” he assured, before embracing Williams with a strong hug in front of the Paycom Center’s audience.
While Jalen dropped in 2o points during Sunday’s Game 7, he averaged a bit over his teammates SGA with 23.6 points per contests in the NBA Final. He also inspired OKC to take a 3-2 lead in the series with a 40-point performance in Game 5, while adding 5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
On the other hand, Shai keeps gaining recognition as many believe he just cemented himself as the best player the Oklahoma City franchise has ever seen. “He has passed Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the greatest Thunder ever,” Kendrick Perkins proclaimed on Sunday night.
“He’s knocking at the door right now of actually being the best player in the world, and nobody could dispute that. I mean, we anointed Jokic when he won it. We anointed Giannis (Antetokounmpo) when he won it,” said the popular broacaster. “This man has done it at the highest level.”
