Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has received the NBA’s 2024-25 MVP award, the NBA introduced Wednesday night time. Gilgeous-Alexander is now the seventh straight MVP winner to be born exterior of the US, becoming a member of Nikola Jokić (2024, 2022, 2021), Joel Embiid (2023) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2020, 2019). He’s the primary Thunder participant to win the award since Russell Westbrook did so in 2016, and with Kevin Durant in 2014, three Thunder gamers have been named MVP.

SGA bought 71 of 100 first-place votes. Nikola Jokić completed second and bought the opposite 29 first-place votes. Antetokounmpo completed third, and 12 completely different gamers obtained a minimum of one top-five vote.

2025 NBA MVP voting outcomes

Gilgeous-Alexander can be the primary Kentucky Wildcats basketball product to win MVP. 

The 26-year-old received the award with among the best guard seasons in NBA historical past. He led the NBA with 32.7 factors per recreation. The one different guards this century to attain that a lot had been James Harden, Kobe Bryant, Luka Dončić and Allen Iverson. He was remarkably environment friendly in doing so, making 51.9% of his area targets, 37.5% of his 3s and 89.8% of his free throws whereas contributing 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per recreation.

What actually solidified his case, although, was his workforce’s efficiency. The Thunder completed the season with the second-best internet ranking in NBA historical past (+12.7) and the fifth-best document (68-14) in league historical past. Oklahoma Metropolis’s dominant protection led them to that historic success, and whereas Gilgeous-Alexander does most of his work on offense, his skill to generate turnovers and maintain his personal in most perimeter matchups made him a helpful asset on the opposite finish of the ground as effectively.

🏀 Most PPG on 60-win workforce in NBA historical past

Nonetheless, competitors for the award was fierce. Jokić, a three-time winner, had arguably the perfect statistical season of his profession. He grew to become the primary middle in NBA historical past to common a triple-double, and solely the third participant total to take action following Westbrook and Oscar Robertson. For the season as an entire, he ranked third in factors per recreation, third in rebounds, second in assists and sixth in steals. All of the whereas, he shot meaningfully higher than Gilgeous-Alexander from each the sector (57.6%) and 3-point vary (41.7%).

The race between Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander became a philosophical debate: ought to the MVP award go to the clear greatest participant on the perfect workforce, or ought to it go to the participant broadly thought of the perfect in the complete sport? Jokić held a slim however significant statistical benefit, however his workforce received 18 fewer video games than Gilgeous-Alexander’s.

Whereas it didn’t have an effect on the voting, which was carried out as quickly because the common season ended, the MVP battle performed out on the ground within the postseason. Jokić and the Nuggets pushed Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder to the brink, however in the long run, Oklahoma Metropolis pulled out the victory in seven video games. Jokić hit greater highs all through the sequence, however Gilgeous-Alexander improved steadily because the sequence progressed and was finally capable of put the Nuggets away in shut fourth quarters in Video games 4 and 5, which finally swung the sequence.

In the long run, the voters determined that Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the nod. In a season during which there have been two worthy MVP winners, the voters leaned on the one main one of many biggest regular-season groups in NBA historical past. With a regular-season MVP award now beneath his belt, Gilgeous-Alexander will attempt to add the way more significant Invoice Russell Finals MVP award in June. The Thunder nonetheless have loads of work to do earlier than that is on the desk, however given the season that Gilgeous-Alexander is having, he has an actual probability to turn out to be the primary participant since 2013 LeBron James to get each in a single season.

Previous to the previous seven seasons, solely three worldwide gamers had received the award (Steve Nash twice, plus Hakeem Olajuwon and Dirk Nowitzki).

🏀 Final 7 NBA MVP winners

Gilgeous-Alexander was drafted with the No. 11 choose within the 2018 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers. His solely season in Los Angeles noticed him common 10.8 factors and three.3 assists per recreation earlier than he was shipped off to Oklahoma Metropolis in a blockbuster commerce that additionally included Danilo Gallinari, 5 first-round picks and 4 first-round choose swaps in change for Paul George, a commerce which assured them the providers of Kawhi Leonard.