Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins 2nd NBA MVP, beating Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksWhat's Next For Lakers?Hollinger's Top ProspectsVecenie's Mock DraftNBA Playoffs The Oklahoma City Thunder have had an NBA-high four MVPs since beginning play in 2008, including two for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Share articleThe NBA’s MVP, once again, resides in Oklahoma City. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won a second consecutive regular-season MVP award, the NBA announced Sunday. The 27-year-old beat fellow finalists Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the first back-to-back winner of the award since Jokić in 2021 and 2022. Among guards, SGA is the first to win consecutive MVPs since Stephen Curry in 2015 and 2016, and he joins Curry, Michael Jordan, Steve Nash and Magic Johnson as the only guards in NBA history to do so. SGA is also the 12th player with multiple MVP awards by age 28; the league has 16 multi-time winners. In 68 regular-season games played this season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 38.6 percent on 3s and 60.2 percent from 2-point range, the best mark of his career. He fueled Oklahoma City’s third consecutive finish atop the Western Conference standings, as the Thunder had their third straight season of at least 57 wins. The Thunder were 56-12 when he played this season. The Thunder, looking to become the first champion to repeat since Curry’s Golden State Warriors in 2017-18, started the season 24-1. Though they endured a series of injuries across different positions, Gilgeous-Alexander remained a constant. He often either played so well that his talents weren’t required in a fourth-quarter blowout, or he reached for heroics in clutch time, a late-game portfolio that eventually helped him win this season’s Clutch Player of the Year award. For the fourth consecutive season, Oklahoma City’s leading man averaged at least 30 points, leaving him behind only Jordan (10), Wilt Chamberlain (eight) and Oscar Robertson (six) for the most total such seasons in league history. On March 12, SGA broke Chamberlain’s record for consecutive 20-point regular-season games with his 127th in a win over the Boston Celtics. Gilgeous-Alexander’s second MVP gives Oklahoma City four total since the franchise’s inception in 2008, the most of any team during that time. Kevin Durant won in 2014, and Russell Westbrook won in 2017. In 2019, Thunder general manager Sam Presti acquired Gilgeous-Alexander after his rookie season from the LA Clippers in exchange for Paul George, who joined forces with then-NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Since then, including the playoffs, the Thunder have recorded the NBA’s fourth-best record, trailing only the Celtics, Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms