Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins second straight MVP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award on Sunday, the league said, giving the Oklahoma City Thunder guard his second straight MVP. The award was announced on May 17, one day before Oklahoma City was scheduled to open the Western Conference finals at home against the San Antonio Spurs. Gilgeous-Alexander had already won the award in 2025, and the repeat put him into a smaller group of multiple-time winners. The NBA listed Nikola Jokić of Denver and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio as the other finalists. ### How rare is a second straight MVP? The NBA said Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th player to win the award in back-to-back seasons. An NBA.com analysis published Sunday said he also became only the 16th player to win multiple MVP honors since the award was introduced in 1955-56. The May 17 announcement also extended another streak. The Associated Press report carried by NBA.com said Gilgeous-Alexander, who is Canadian, made it eight consecutive seasons in which the NBA MVP was born outside the United States. (nba.com) ### What did he do in the regular season that set him apart? Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 68 regular-season games, according to his season stats page and league summaries. (nba.com) NBA.com said he was the only guard in league history to average more than 30 points while shooting better than 55% from the field, finishing at 55.3%. NBA.com’s season-by-numbers breakdown said Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 20 points in all 68 games he played and extended his streak of 20-point games to 140 through the end of the regular season. The same breakdown said he posted 43 games with at least 30 points, eight with at least 40 and one with at least 50. The league also pointed to his late-game production. (espn.com) NBA.com said Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 175 total clutch points and had already been voted the 2025-26 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year. ### Who finished behind him in the vote? The NBA listed Jokić and Wembanyama as the other two MVP finalists for 2025-26. NBA.com’s Associated Press report said international players finished first, second and third in MVP balloting for the fifth straight season. (nba.com) The league had not surfaced a full 2025-26 MVP vote breakdown in the materials reviewed, though its awards archive shows that regular-season honors are selected by a global media panel and tabulated by Ernst & Young LLP. (nba.com) That process was described in the NBA’s 2025-26 Clutch Player of the Year release and other awards releases in the same archive. (nba.com) ### What else has he won in the last 12 months? May 2025 was when Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award. The Associated Press report on Sunday said Commissioner Adam Silver was expected to present him with a trophy again on Monday, which would be the third formal trophy presentation in 12 months after MVP last May and Finals MVP last June. This season, the MVP was his second major individual award. (pr.nba.com) NBA.com said he also won Clutch Player of the Year in April. ### What comes next for Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City? Monday, May 18, is the next date on the schedule. NBA.com said Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama were set to meet that night when the Thunder opened Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City. (nba.com) The league’s awards page also said additional postseason honors, including the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams, would be announced later in the 2026 postseason. (nba.com) For Gilgeous-Alexander, the immediate next step is Game 1 against San Antonio. (nba.com)