Former Kentucky and current Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has officially won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player awards, according to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania.
The NBA’s official MVP announcement is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET, where Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama were named finalists for the 2025-26 Kia NBA MVP award.
Gilgeous-Alexander delivered one of the most dominant seasons in recent NBA history, leading
the Thunder to an NBA-best 64 wins despite Oklahoma City dealing with the third-most games missed due to injuries across the league. The former University of Kentucky standout averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game while continuing to establish himself as one of basketball’s elite superstars.
The accomplishment places Gilgeous-Alexander in rare company. He became the first player to win consecutive MVP awards since Nikola Jokic won in 2021 and 2022 and the first guard to accomplish the feat since Stephen Curry did so in 2015 and 2016. He also became the first guard in NBA history to average 30 points per game while shooting at least 55% from the field in a single season.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan as the only players in league history to average at least 30 points, five assists, and 50% shooting over four consecutive seasons. Even more impressive, he did not score below 20 points in a single game this season, joining only Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor in accomplishing that milestone.
Before becoming an NBA MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander starred for Kentucky during the 2017-18 season under John Calipari. He earned All-SEC Second Team honors and helped lead the Wildcats to an SEC Tournament championship while averaging 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. His breakout postseason performances quickly elevated him into lottery-pick status before eventually being selected 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
