Shai wins second straight MVP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award for a second straight season, the league announced on Sunday, May 17. The Oklahoma City guard received 83 of 100 first-place votes and totaled 939 points in the voting, according to the released balloting. Oklahoma City enters the Western Conference finals as the top seed and reigning NBA champion and is scheduled to play Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, May 18. ### How large was Gilgeous-Alexander’s margin in the voting? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the panel with 83 first-place votes and 939 total points, more than any other player. Nikola Jokić finished second with 10 first-place votes and 634 points, while Victor Wembanyama placed third with five first-place votes and 569 points, according to the complete returned ballots. (cbssports.com) ### What season numbers did voters cite for the award? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points per game and shot 55.3% from the floor, 38.6% on three-pointers and 87.9% from the free-throw line during the regular season, the NBA’s voting release noted. (cbssports.com) Oklahoma City posted the league’s best regular-season record with 64 wins, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the team in scoring and contributing 6.6 assists per game, league and team statistics showed. ### What did Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder say after the announcement? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrated at the Thunder practice facility Sunday night, saying, “Basketball’s obviously a team sport” and thanking teammates while presenting them with gifts, the Associated Press reported. (cbssports.com) Thunder coach Mark Daigneault commented that Gilgeous-Alexander “has touched up the edges on his game and on his leadership and on his perspective,” remarks included in the AP account. ### Who were the other top vote-getters and where did they finish? Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets finished as the runner-up in the MVP balloting with 634 points and 10 first-place votes. (news10.com) Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs ranked third with 569 points and five first-place votes, per the official results. Luka Dončić finished fourth and Cade Cunningham was fifth in the voting, the released tallies showed. ### How are sportsbooks and markets viewing Oklahoma City heading into the conference finals? BetMGM listed the Oklahoma City Thunder as the betting favorite to win the Western Conference, with updated market odds favoring the defending champions entering the series. (cbssports.com) Vegas-insider and other odds aggregators showed the Thunder as the early favorites in West Final lines published ahead of Game 1. ### When and where can viewers watch the next game involving Gilgeous-Alexander? The NBA scheduled Game 1 of the Western Conference finals for Monday, May 18, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the San Antonio Spurs and national coverage listed on Peacock and NBC. (sports.betmgm.com) (nba.com) (vegasinsider.com)