Patryk Stachowiak
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has claimed his second consecutive Kia MVP award, cementing his place among the NBA‘s all-time greats. The Oklahoma City Thunder star was presented the honor on Sunday, surrounded by ownership, front office staff, teammates, and family — including his wife Hailey, son Ares, father Vaughn, and cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker. His teammates arrived wearing Burberry trench coats and Audemars Piguet watches — gifts from Gilgeous-Alexander himself.
“The inner circle is something people forget about. I get all the praise and people forget, I’m on the court for 2 1/2 hours every night and the rest of my days, you guys make my life seem this easy.”
He joins an exclusive group of 14 players in NBA history to win MVP in consecutive seasons. His appreciation for the Thunder organization and the city of Oklahoma City was clear.
“There’s a reason why you have success when you come through this program in this facility and this city. Everything I just mentioned from the fans, the love they give, to the ownership, the front office, making things easy, making sure we’re getting our work in. The coach is playing the right brand of basketball, holding the right things accountable. The way things are in this organization, in this city, it breeds success and it’s no coincidence. I’m just lucky to end up here.”
Less than four months after the Thunder won the NBA championship and Gilgeous-Alexander earned Finals MVP, he opened the 2025-26 season with 35 points in a double-overtime win against the Houston Rockets. Game two brought 55 points in another double-overtime victory, this time against the Indiana Pacers. He scored at least 30 points in 11 of Oklahoma City’s first 13 games.
Through the Thunder’s 22-1 start, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.8 points, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and just 1.7 turnovers per game while shooting 55.6% from the field and 44.3% from three.
“I’m not really after the success. There’s so many people in my life that sacrifice for me to just play this game that I love and I would be doing them a disservice if I didn’t give it my all. And that’s really what it’s about — making sure that when I’m done and I hang these shoes up that I give everything I have to the game. Then, whatever that looks like for me, I’ll live with. I’ll be more than pleased with what I got out of it. But none of the accolades and the points and all this stuff that’s cool on social media, none of that is what I’m after. I’m just after making sure that while I’m doing this thing, I give it my all and I’m not wasting nobody’s time.”
The statistical case for a second consecutive award was strong. Compared to his first MVP season, his per-36-minute scoring dipped by less than a point — from 34.4 to 33.7 — while he attempted fewer shots and raised his shooting percentage from .519 to .553 and his three-point percentage from .375 to .386. Assists per 36 minutes climbed from 6.7 to 7.1.
He posted career highs in shooting percentage and assists (6.6 per game), and delivered the third-best scoring output of his career at 31.1 points per game, paired with the third-best free-throw percentage (.879) and his second-best mark from three.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the first guard to average 30 or more points while shooting 55% or better from the field. He joined Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points and shoot at least 50% in four consecutive seasons.
His scoring streak reached an NBA-record 140 straight games with at least 20 points. He also recorded seven games with 30 or more points and zero turnovers — tied for the second-most in a single season — and became just the second player after Jordan to average 30-plus points while keeping turnovers below 2.5 per game for three consecutive seasons, averaging 2.2 this year. He was also named Clutch Player of the Year and led the NBA in plus-minus at plus-788.
The MVP race included Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić — a three-time winner — and San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama as finalists. Repeating at the top of this field reinforces how exceptional this Thunder season was. Oklahoma City followed its 68-win campaign with 64 wins and the overall No. 1 seed, with San Antonio keeping pressure on the top spot throughout the year.
“Naturally, teams and players in NBA get better and then naturally, people get more familiar with your game, more familiar with your team, how you play. So the league just got better like it always does. And then you just have a bigger target on your back as a competitor and guys in NBA really compete. You have something somebody wants to become a target. It’s just simple. But all you can do is focus on yourself, focus on your work, focus on your craft. Not only myself, these guys up here doing that has really allowed us to continue to have success through the ups and downs.”
Follow TipsGG for full coverage of the 2025-26 NBA Playoffs, including Thunder game previews, odds, and analysis.
Read also: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads 2026 NBA Finals MVP Odds as Wembanyama Closes the Gap