For the third time in league history, the NBA’s most valuable player is a Canadian.
Gilgeous-Alexander is just the second Canadian to win the award, following Victoria, B.C.’s Steve Nash, who won MVP in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006.
The Hamilton, Ont. native had yet another stellar campaign, averaging a career-high 32.7 points per game on 63.7 per cent true shooting through 76 contests. He also recorded 72 consecutive 20-point games, surpassing Michael Jordan’s mark of 69.
Gilgeous-Alexander also posted career highs in average assists (6.4), steals (1.7, tied-10th in the NBA), blocks (1.0), made field goals (11.3) and three-point percentage (37.5). He’s also the only guard in league history to shoot better than 57 per cent on over 15 two-point shots per game for a full season.
His efforts led the NBA’s youngest team to not only the league’s best record, but also a franchise high win-total for a single season — the most wins by a squad since the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder ranked third on offence and first on defence as they ran away with the No. 1 seed in the West, holding a 16-game lead over the next-closest team by the end of the regular season. OKC also smashed the previous point-differential record set by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971-72, outscoring opponents by 12.9 points per game.
The 26-year-old finished second in MVP voting to Nikola Jokic in the 2023-24 season and has finished top five for three straight years.
Yet this year, SGA beat out the three-time MVP, despite Jokic becoming just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season (Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook). The Denver Nuggets star posted a stat line of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also the first guard to win the award since James Harden in 2017-18.
The newly minted MVP and his Thunder squad return to action on Thursday, hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, already holding a 1-0 series lead.
OKC took down the now-former MVP Jokic and his Nuggets in seven games during the West semis to secure its first third-round appearance since 2016. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 29.2 points (first among conference finalists), 5.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals throughout the playoffs.