Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won the NBA MVP award for the second consecutive year, the Thunder star learning of the honor Sunday morning before the official presentation at 7:30 p.m. the same evening.
The Canadian becomes the 14th player to claim back-to-back MVPs in league history. He follows Nikola Jokic, who won in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and joins an even shorter list of guards to achieve the feat: Stephen Curry stands as the only other perimeter player to win consecutive MVPs, doing so in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
The distinction carries historic weight. Every retired player who won consecutive MVP awards during their career has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gilgeous-Alexander's dominance this season was evident in the numbers. The 27-year-old averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds across 68 regular-season games. Over his nine-year career with the Clippers and Thunder, he has averaged 25.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 530 games.
The Thunder rewarded their star with a four-year, $273.3 million super maximum contract extension during the offseason, a clear signal of the organization's commitment to building around him long-term.
Gilgeous-Alexander's second MVP extends a recent trend: the last American-born player to win the award was James Harden in 2018. Since then, international talent has dominated the honor.
The real test begins Monday night. Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City to its first NBA championship last season and now faces the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, with the team hunting for back-to-back titles.
Author James Rodriguez: "This is the kind of validation a superstar craves, but Gilgeous-Alexander knows the only award that matters now is hoisting another trophy."
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