NBA
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Projected To Win First NBA MVP Award
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All posts by James FoglioUpdated4 hours ago on May 21, 2025
The NBA will unveil this season’s MVP award on Wednesday night, and the odds-on favorite is Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo round out the top-3 candidates.
If either Jokic or Antetokounmpo win, it would be the seventh consecutive time that a player born outside of the U.S. has won the award. Antetokounmpo, of Greek and Nigerian descent, won in 2019 and 2020.
Jokic, a Serbian, won in 2021, 2022, and 2024. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but since became a U.S. citizen, won the award in 2023.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Posted Career-High Numbers
Gilgeous-Alexander, who won the league’s scoring title this season and led the Thunder to an NBA-best 68-14 record, averaged a career-high 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 76 games. He finished fifth in MVP voting in 2023 and second last season.
According to Basketball Reference, Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in points (2,484), points per game (32.7), field goals (860), field goal attempts (1,656), free throws (601), win shares (16.7), and defensive win shares (4.8).
In Oklahoma City’s 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 22, he recorded a career-high 54 points on 17-of-35 (48.6%) shooting from the floor, 3-of-10 (30%) from beyond the arc, and 17-of-18 (94.4%) at the foul line.
Sources say the NBA is expected to finally announce the MVP award on Wednesday, and it would be nothing short of a shocker if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t the one being handed the trophy.
His spectacular second half spurred the Thunder to a series-opening victory. pic.twitter.com/ZvQUZzrIhj
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 21, 2025
More importantly, SGA had a record of 48-7 without All-Star guard Jalen Williams or former No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren during the regular season.
If that’s not MVP material, the league should definitely reconsider their voting process.
Per Spotrac, Gilgeous-Alexander is in the third season of a five-year, $179.3 million rookie max extension. His current deal runs through the 2026-27 season and includes a 30% escalator clause that turns the guaranteed $172 million base into $207 million for earning at least one of the three All-NBA Team selections.
Before the NBA trade deadline, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that SGA “is eligible for a four-year supermax extension this coming offseason worth nearly $300 million that would set him up for the first $80 million salary in NBA history in 2030-31.”
Nikola Jokic Became The First Center To Average A Triple-Double
Meanwhile, Jokic had a record-breaking season, becoming the first center to average a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. The seven-time All-Star also became the first player since all those stats were tracked to finish in the NBA’s top three in all three of those metrics.
Jokic is Gilgeous-Alexander’s biggest competition for the MVP award. He led the NBA in player efficiency rating (32), box plus/minus (13.3), offensive box plus/minus (9.9), and value over replacement player (9.8). The six-time All-NBA member also led Denver to a 50-32 record and the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Similar to most other NBA honors, the MVP award was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly before the start of the playoffs.
