Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins 2026 NBA Clutch Player of the Year award

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won the 2026 NBA Clutch Player of the Year award. The honor was was announced on Peacock’s NBA Showtime.

Three players were up for NBA Clutch Player of the Year. Gilgeous-Alexander, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray were the finalists, with the winner to be announced Monday.

Gilgeous-Alexander had the most clutch points in the NBA during the regular season, totaling 175 across 27 clutch games, and Murray was second with 166. Edwards had the sixth-most clutch points 135 in his 24 applicable games, but shot a league-best 56% in those situations. 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.

Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off another strong season for the Thunder as they look to repeat as NBA champions. During the regular season, he averaged 31.1 points to go with 4.3 rebounds and a career-high 6.6 assists across 68 games.

Tuesday’s honor might not be the only one for Gilgeous-Alexander. He is also a finalist for MVP as he looks to bring home the honor once again. He also made his fourth straight All-Star Game this past year as part of another dominant year in Oklahoma City.

Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City to a first-round win over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs with 25 points and seven assists on Sunday. He knows it won’t be easy the rest of the series, though, considering the Suns’ talent and how well they’re coached.

“They’re a little bit more tired, so that probably has something to do with it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “But we still have to do our job and go out there and win.

“This [Phoenix] team is going to get better throughout the series. They have good players, well coached, play really hard, play the right way. So we’ve got to be ready to get better as well and expect a better team on the other end.”

The NBA introduced the award in 2022. It goes to the player who “best comes through for his teammates late in close games,” the league said, and is named in honor of the late Jerry West. While playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, West earned the nickname “Mr. Clutch,” and the winner receives the Jerry West Trophy.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson brought home the award last season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the fourth player to be named NBA Clutch Player of the Year.