Shai Gilgeous-Alexander becomes first player in 12 years to win both NBA MVP and Finals MVP after dominant Thunder run
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander becomes first player in 12 years to win both NBA MVP and Finals MVP after dominant Thunder run
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the first player in 25 years to win the regular-season MVP, the scoring title and Finals MVP at the same time. He averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game throughout the NBA Finals. He dropped 29 points and 12 assists in Sunday’s Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder finished the regular season with the best point differential in NBA history, with a plus-26.7 as long as SGA was on the floor. The Los Angeles Clippers picked him 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and, after a solid rookie season, dealt him to OKC in the much-maligned Paul George trade. He has led the Thunder in scoring every season since he landed in OKC, with his numbers improving every season. The SGA trade was the beginning of a hard rebuild for the Thunder, but they were competitive again by the 2022-23 season and back in the playoffs as the West’s top seed last year.
The Thunder point guard was named the winner of the award after the game, making him the ninth player in NBA history to win both the regular-season MVP award and the Finals MVP award. He also won the Western Conference finals MVP award, for good measure. He is the first player in 25 years to win the regular-season MVP, the scoring title and Finals MVP.
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Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game throughout the NBA Finals. He dropped 29 points and 12 assists in Sunday’s win.
The last player to accomplish the double-MVP was LeBron James when he did it in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013, during his Miami Heat days. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić have all won both of the awards since then, but never at the same time.
Here’s the full list:
LeBron James (2012, 2013)
Tim Duncan (2003)
Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
Hakeem Olajuwon (1994)
Magic Johnson (1987)
Moses Malone (1983)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971)
Willis Reed (1970)
It’s worth noting that while the NBA MVP award was introduced in 1956, the Finals MVP award only dates back to 1969. Had the latter award been introduced sooner, its namesake Bill Russell and rival Wilt Chamberlain would almost certainly be on that list.
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Chamberlain won MVP the year he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1967 championship, while the Boston Celtics won the title in four out of Russell’s five MVP years. Bob Cousy might have also had an argument for Finals MVP on the 1957 champion Celtics after winning MVP that year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just had one of the best seasons in NBA history
If your average NBA player was asked to write out what they hope to accomplish before any given season, the result would not have looked too different from Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2024-25 campaign.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring, was dominant enough on defense to earn a second-place Defensive Player of the Year vote and was the focal point of a 68-win team. The Thunder were clearly the most talented team in the league from top to bottom, but there was never any question who held the driver’s keys on the court.
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The Thunder finished the regular season with the best point differential in NBA history, and Gilgeous-Alexander was the reason why, via Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor:
SGA has led OKC despite Chet Holmgren missing 50 games and Isaiah Hartenstein missing 25 games. In the 1,112 minutes SGA played without either of them, the Thunder were still a plus-18.9. Add in the minutes that their second-best player, Jalen Williams, was also on the bench, the Thunder still were a plus-26.7 as long as SGA was on the floor.
There are people who will argue Jokić was more deserving of the MVP award, but the fact is both players posted two of the greatest individual performances the NBA has ever seen. And then Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to its first championship in OKC, beating Jokić’s Denver Nuggets in a surprisingly competitive second-round series.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2024-25 was the culmination of a steady rise from the moment he entered the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers picked him 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and, after a solid rookie season, dealt him to OKC in the much-maligned Paul George trade (which, to be fair, is the reason LA was able to get Kawhi Leonard).
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SGA has led the Thunder in scoring every season since he landed in OKC, with his numbers and the team improving every season. The SGA trade was the beginning of a hard rebuild for the Thunder, but they were competitive again by the 2022-23 season and back in the playoffs as the West’s top seed last year.
That campaign ended in disappointment, with an upset loss to Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder responded by reinforcing their young core with veterans Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, while Gilgeous-Alexander responded by finding yet another gear. There was no stopping them this year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to get paid — next summer
The Finals MVP doesn’t change how much Gilgeous-Alexander can get paid in the future, but it does demonstrate how little choice the Thunder have in giving him the money he wants.
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By winning MVP, the 26-year-old is eligible to sign a five-year, $380 million supermax contract extension once he becomes eligible in the 2026 offseason. He has already met the criteria two times over, with his MVP win and back-to-back All-NBA selections, and just needs to finish his seventh NBA season.
When he gets that contract, it will be the largest deal in the history of the NBA, with a $76 million average annual value that would be unprecedented in American sports.