Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA MVP for second straight year originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gone back to back.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard will be named NBA MVP for the second straight year on Sunday after another dominant season. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news, with an official announcement coming Sunday night.
The 27-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander is the 14th player to win consecutive MVP awards, joining recent stars Nikola Jokic (2020-22), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2018-20) and Stephen Curry (2014-16) to do so over the past decade-plus.
In the 2025-26 season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists over 68 games. He was named Clutch Player of the Year for the first time in his career and made his fourth All-Star Game.
Other finalists for MVP included Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite the other worthy challengers, Gilgeous-Alexander set himself apart to repeat as the award winner. He was the first guard in NBA history to average at least 30 points with over 55% shooting in a season. He also extended his record streak of scoring at least 20 points to 140 games, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1961-62, 1963-64) and Elgin Baylor (1961-62) as the only players to score 20 or more in every game of a season.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise to stardom has come as the Thunder have emerged as the league’s most dominant team. He led the franchise to its first title in Oklahoma City last season while being named NBA Finals MVP, and the Thunder are still aiming to repeat this year. The team is a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs so far with Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 29.1 points and 7.1 assists per game.
It’s been an extended break for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder after their second-round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Western Conference Finals against Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs begins Monday.
