Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turns into the 14th participant to win back-to-back Kia MVPs.
He’s generally recognized by his initials as a result of three letters are quite a bit simpler on the tongue than saying the total 21 in that hyphenated identify, stretched so lengthy on his jersey it requires a winding arc, very similar to a soar shot leaving his fingertips.
And so it’s, three letters that announce him, three letters that outline him, three letters which can be symbolic.
Sure, M-V-P. Instances two now.
Oh, and SGA. That, too.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the league MVP, once more, and when anybody enters that choose firm — 13 gamers had received in consecutive years; Shai turns into simply the fifth guard to take action — he leaves a sure legacy. And that’s if he’s completed taking part in. At 27 years previous, Gilgeous-Alexander nonetheless has loads of time so as to add one other layer or two to an already-firm case for greatness.
At this stage, a participant begins to enter all-time territory and earn point out in scorching debates. House is cleared within the enviornment ceiling for the now-inevitable jersey retirement, and alongside the wall within the Corridor of Fame, perhaps a attainable statue by the entrance door of the world, the entire 9. It’s protected to say Shai is on that seldom-beaten path and once more, his journey hasn’t even scaled the mountaintop but.
“He’s the MVP of the league,” mentioned Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker. “He’s been taking part in one of the best basketball within the league for the previous two years.”
How did this occur?
Every little thing fell in place for Gilgeous-Alexander — profitable video games, his personal improvement and the altering forces throughout the league.
Shai has taken full benefit of the stylistic shift within the NBA, which favors a diffusion ground and an emphasis on isolation assault. He labored himself to suit that fashion; nothing was given. As a scorer, an open ground and the inexperienced mild are items from the basketball gods in in the present day’s sport. Particularly for a guard; this fashion wasn’t out there a long time in the past, earlier than analytics, earlier than the emphasis on the 3-point shot and definitely not when huge males took many of the photographs and have been valuable in a sport that rewarded measurement.
The sport nonetheless favors gamers of a sure peak; within the final 25 years solely seven guards earlier than Shai managed to win the sport’s most coveted particular person award, and solely Shai, Stephen Curry and Steve Nash have performed so greater than as soon as.
His timing was excellent in one other sense, although. Shai was traded from the Clippers to an Oklahoma Metropolis group that craved an offensive star within the wake of dropping Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, three former MVPs and scoring champions. The membership constructed itself round his expertise. He additionally obtained a 12 months of tutoring from Chris Paul who – very similar to former Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell – bought Shai on the worth of the mid-range pull-up shot. This enabled Shai to develop a number of candy spots 15 toes from the ring.
“He’s ruthlessly constant within the invisible areas,” mentioned Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “It’s no accident that he’s the participant he’s. He actually chiseled himself into this participant.”
Sure, none of this may be attainable with out the work. The fixed repetitive drills to sharpen his launch and his footwork have lengthy paid off. His slick capability to create area from his defender with a slight forearm shove (simply legally) adopted by a step again and elevation made him a tricky project for defenders, who’re cautious to not foul.
Additionally, talking of protection, his personal capability to use the clamps — it helps to be 6-foot-6 with fast fingers and lengthy arms — made Shai a licensed two-way participant. What number of different big-time scorers in NBA historical past additionally carried excessive worth as a defender? Michael Jordan involves thoughts, clearly. However few others, if any.
And that is the place the dialog begins about Shai and the place he matches in historical past.
The again of the basketball card
He’s nonetheless a piece in progress by way of elevating among the many really elites, top-10 territory. However that’s favorable to him as a result of … he’s nonetheless a piece in progress. He’s simply in his eighth season, with room for progress and maybe 5 extra peak, MVP-flavored seasons forward. It’s not time for reflection simply but.
Proper now he’s on the identical airplane as one other Canadian guard, Steve Nash, additionally with back-to-back MVPs. They’re vastly completely different gamers; Nash was a pass-first level guard and higher 3-point shooter. Nash was very useful when Shai was beginning to develop and achieve traction within the league. After all, Shai has an NBA title; Nash retired with no ring.
After which there are a choose few gamers with just one MVP — Kobe Bryant, for starters — whose legacies and affect and affect are presently and maybe completely past Shai’s attain.
A 3rd MVP would strengthen Shai’s case in different methods, though in that state of affairs, the greatness pointers start to toughen. Gamers with that many awards have been game-changers along with being legends. Magic Johnson and Larry Chicken, each three-time winners, rescued the NBA and helped make it a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Even a two-time winner corresponding to Steph Curry revolutionized the 3-point shot.
And that’s if Shai will get a 3rd MVP. There’s the very actual chance that Victor Wembanyama, a finalist this 12 months, is simply warming up.
However that’s a dialogue for the long run.
A person of the second
Shai is engaged on a second championship and the Thunder as constructed are constructed to endure, with many of the key gamers within the rotation 25 and youthful and the franchise is flush with future belongings. His place in historical past might have as many championships as MVPs, or perhaps extra, and that highly effective mixture could be onerous for anybody, retired or nonetheless energetic, to beat or match.
This a lot is definite: Shai has surpassed all expectations. He leveled up a lot larger than anybody imagined, even these staunch believers corresponding to Kentucky coach John Calipari and Doc Rivers and Billy Donovan, all of whom positioned no limits on Shai’s future once they coached him throughout his earliest levels, but nonetheless:
We thought he’d be good … however not this good. That was the shared chorus from the choir.
Nicely — and this does come as a shock based mostly on his first few years within the league — he’s that good now.
He’s averaging greater than 30 factors the final 4 seasons with out capturing under 51% in any of them. This season, no guard has ever shot as effectively (55%) and scored as a lot (31.1) in a single season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passes Wilt Chamberlain together with his 127th straight sport with 20+ factors in a win over the Celtics.
He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 20-point streak. He’s making scoring look easy as a result of he by no means appears to be rushed, not often takes unhealthy photographs, stays rhythmic, all the time appears comfy wherever on the ground and no matter who was guarding him. That scoring acumen places him in historic firm.
The Thunder are blessed to have him if solely due to what he mentioned simply hours after the group raised its first banner final fall on Opening Evening.
An NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP coming off an MVP season — in different phrases, a participant who seemingly achieved all of it — was very blunt when he challenged himself:
“I must be higher.”
Nicely, within the 2025-26 common season, it’s now official: He’s higher. And an all-timer.
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Shaun Powell has coated the NBA since 1985. You possibly can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, discover his archive right here and follow him on X.