OKLAHOMA CITY — The “Canadian King” has reclaimed his throne.
In an overwhelming display of dominance that confirms his status as the face of the modern NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the 2025–26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. The award, announced this past Sunday, marks the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar’s second consecutive MVP trophy, cementing his place in the most exclusive fraternity in basketball history.
Joining the Immortals
By winning back-to-back MVPs, Gilgeous-Alexander becomes just the 14th player in NBA history to achieve the feat. He now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a legendary list of names that defines the sport’s hierarchy: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokić.
The voting was decisive, with Gilgeous-Alexander receiving 83 of 100 first-place votes, leaving little room for debate. Nikola Jokić finished as the runner-up, followed by the Spurs’ rising phenom Victor Wembanyama in third.
A Season of Efficiency
While his raw scoring numbers shifted slightly from his 2024–25 campaign (averaging 31.1 points per game), the 2026 version of “SGA” was arguably even more lethal. The hallmark of his season was an unprecedented leap in efficiency that left league analysts scrambling for superlatives.
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The 50/40/90 Threshold: Gilgeous-Alexander finished the regular season shooting an incredible 55.3% from the floor and 38.6% from three-point range.
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Historical Consistency: He extended his streak of 20+ point games to 140 consecutive appearances, the longest in league history.
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Winning Impact: He led the Thunder to a league-best 64–18 record, securing the top overall seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive year.
“What you see is a player who has touched up the edges of his game, his leadership, and his perspective,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “He gets the MVP for what he does, but it’s how he does it that, to me, is most special.”
