Report: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins second consecutive NBA MVP award

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVPs, per ESPN.

The official MVP announcement is expected to be made during Amazon Prime’s pregame show ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Sunday night between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian national, won the award over Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and Denver’s Nikola Jokic, marking the eighth consecutive season in which a player born outside the United States has won MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished the regular season ranked second in scoring, averaging 31.1 points per game, behind only Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic (33.5 ppg.). The 27-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander won last year’s MVP after leading the NBA in scoring at 32.7 ppg. in 2024-25.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the first NBA player to win back-to-back MVP since Jokic in 2021 and 2022, and the first guard to win it in consecutive years since the Golden State Warriors‘ Stephen Curry won it in 2015 and 2016. Gilgeous-Alexander is the fifth active NBA player with back-to-back MVP awards, joining Curry, Jokic, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James, who accomplished it twice with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who also averaged a career-high 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and shot a career-best 55.3% from the floor this season, is also the first guard to average 30 points on at least 55% shooting in a season in NBA league history, according to ESPN research.

The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander was the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. He was originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets but was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night. After one season in LA, Gilgeous-Alexander was dealt to the Thunder in July 2019 as part of a deal involving nine-time NBA All-Star forward Paul George.

Gilgeous-Alexander also won the 2026 NBA Clutch Player of the Year award in April after finishing the regular season with the most clutch points in the league, totaling 175 across 27 clutch games. He beat out Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. The NBA defines “clutch” as a game with a score differential of five points or less in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.