Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to be named NBA MVP for first time, third Thunder player to win

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• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2024-25 NBA MVP award, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a franchise-record 68 wins.
• Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game, along with 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
• This is the Thunder’s third MVP award, following Kevin Durant in 2014 and Russell Westbrook in 2017.

The MVP resides in Oklahoma City.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will secure the NBA’s 2024-25 Most Valuable Player award Wednesday night, according to a report from ESPN. The official announcement was set for 6 p.m. Wednesday on TNT.

Among the finalists were Denver’s Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP who edged SGA in the race a season ago, and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander helped lead the Thunder to a franchise-record 68 wins, becoming the second youngest team in NBA history to clinch the Western Conference’s top seed — right behind last year’s squad — with weeks remaining in the regular season. He did so while leading the league in scoring, a career-best 32.7 points per game on 51.9%/37.5%/89.8% on splits in 76 games. He also paired a career-high 6.4 assists with 5.0 rebounds per game. 

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Even after a third consecutive season of averaging at least 30 points, Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring prowess reached new heights this season. 

He led the league in 50-point games, 40-point games, 30-point games and 20-point games. His four 50-point games tied Kevin Durant’s mark for the second-most in a season in Thunder history. The league’s next leading scorer, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards, scored 307 fewer points despite appearing in three more games. 

A member of what’s been recognized as one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory, Gilgeous-Alexander was often lauded for the defensive effort he’s exerted for a star with an offensive load of such magnitude. He’s almost certainly days away from a third consecutive First Team All-NBA selection, which would give him one more such selection than former Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. 

Gilgeous-Alexander, a first-time MVP winner, gives the Thunder its third different MVP; Kevin Durant and Westbrook each won in 2014 and 2017, respectively.

This article will be updated.

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Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Joel’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

• Games: 76
• Points: 32.7 per game
• Rebounds: 5.0 per game
• Assists: 6.4 per game
• Steals: 1.7 per game
• Blocks: 1.0 per game
• Field-goal shooting: 51.9%
• 3-point shooting: 37.5%
• Free-throw shooting: 89.8%

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