Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for a second straight year.
The league tweeted the news on its communications website May 17 before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons and No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic finished second in the MVP voting while San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama placed third.
Jokic is a three-time MVP winner.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the 14th player in NBA history to be named the Kia NBA MVP in consecutive seasons. https://t.co/yfk9ZZuNHqpic.twitter.com/Lu0uiFaclb
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 17, 2026
Since 2006, six players have won back-to-back MVPs.
- Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns, 2005, 2006).
- LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2009, 2010).
- LeBron James (Miami Heat, 2012, 2013).
- Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 2015, 2016).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks, 2019, 2020).
- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets, 2021, 2022).
- Shai Gilgeous Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder, 2025, 2026).
Becoming the 14th player to win back-to-back NBA MVP awards, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points on 55.3% shooting, 6.6 assists and 1.4 steals in leading the Thunder to the NBA’s best record for a second straight season.
The four-time All-Star posted the highest field goal percentage ever by a guard averaging 30-plus points in a season.
Michael Jordan set the previous record in 1990-91 when averaging 31.5 points on 53.9% shooting.
Top-seeded Oklahoma City will face second-seeded San Antonio in the Western Conference finals beginning with Game 1 May 18 on NBC/Peacock.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins back-to-back NBA MVPs
