Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins 2nd MVP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award on Sunday, the NBA said, giving the Oklahoma City Thunder guard his second straight MVP. The award made Gilgeous-Alexander the 14th player to win the honor in consecutive seasons and the 18th to win at least two MVPs. The announcement came as Oklahoma City prepared to open the Western Conference finals at home against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. The Thunder are the reigning NBA champions and have not lost in the 2026 playoffs, according to CBS Sports. ### How rare is a second straight MVP for Gilgeous-Alexander? The NBA said Gilgeous-Alexander joined a short list of repeat winners when the league announced the result on May 17. NBA.com said he is the 14th player to win the award in back-to-back seasons and the 18th with at least two MVP trophies overall. Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, in an NBA.com report, said the win also extended a run of internationally born MVPs. (nba.com) Gilgeous-Alexander, who is Canadian, made it the eighth consecutive season in which the award went to a player born outside the United States, following Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid in prior years. ### Who were the other finalists in this year’s race? (nba.com) NBA.com said Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama were the other finalists for the 2025-26 award. The league’s awards page listed Gilgeous-Alexander as the winner among the three finalists announced for MVP. The Associated Press report on NBA.com said international players finished 1-2-3 in the voting for the fifth consecutive season. (nba.com) That same report said last season’s top three were Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. ### What did the Thunder say about Gilgeous-Alexander’s season? Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City’s coach, said Gilgeous-Alexander’s core approach had not changed even as his game advanced. “Who he is has never changed,” Daigneault said, according to the Associated Press report carried by NBA.com. (nba.com) Jeff Zillgitt of NBA.com reported that Thunder chairman Clay Bennett, general manager Sam Presti and Daigneault attended Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP ceremony in Oklahoma City on Sunday. (nba.com) Gilgeous-Alexander’s wife, Hailey, his son, Ares, and other family members were also present. NBA.com reported that Gilgeous-Alexander thanked teammates and the organization during the ceremony. “The inner circle is something people forget about,” he said, according to the report. (nba.com) ### What else did he accomplish this season? NBA.com said the MVP was Gilgeous-Alexander’s second major individual award of the season after he was voted the league’s Clutch Player of the Year. (api-hub.nba.com) The Associated Press report said he received 96 of 100 first-place votes for that award. Jeff Zillgitt of NBA.com reported that Gilgeous-Alexander opened the season with 35 points against Houston and then scored 55 against Indiana in the second game. (api-hub.nba.com) During Oklahoma City’s 22-1 start, he averaged 32.8 points, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 55.6% from the field and 44.3% from three-point range, according to that report. (nba.com) ### What comes next for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder? CBS Sports said the Thunder and Spurs are scheduled to open the Western Conference finals on Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern in Oklahoma City. The same schedule page said Game 2 is set for May 20, with the series shifting to San Antonio for Game 3 on May 22. The Associated Press report on NBA.com said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was expected at Monday’s game to formally present Gilgeous-Alexander with the trophy. (api-hub.nba.com) That would be the third time in 12 months that Silver has presented him a major award, after MVP last May and Finals MVP last June, the report said. (nba.com) (cbssports.com)