It finally happened. For years, we’ve watched the Oklahoma City Thunder hoard draft picks like a survivalist preps for the end of the world, waiting for the "next big thing" to arrive. Turns out, he was already there, wearing jersey number 2 and playing with the kind of rhythm that makes professional defenders look like they’re trying to dance on ice.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the answer to the question of who was the mvp in the nba this year, and honestly, it’s about time.
The 2024-25 season didn't just belong to Shai; he basically rented the league out to everyone else. When the final votes were tallied on May 21, 2025, the results weren't exactly a landslide, but they felt definitive. SGA secured 71 out of 100 first-place votes, totaling 913 points. He beat out the reigning "unicorn" of the league, Nikola Jokic, who snagged the remaining 29 first-place votes. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum were left in the dust, finishing third and fourth respectively.
SGA. MVP. It has a nice ring to it.
The Numbers That Broke the Logic
Usually, when you talk about MVP stats, people start throwing out advanced metrics that require a PhD in mathematics to understand. But with Shai, the surface-level stuff was plenty terrifying.
He led the league in scoring. 32.7 points per game.
Think about that.
He did this while shooting 51.9% from the field. For a guard who lives in the mid-range and takes the "long way" to the rim, that kind of efficiency is almost offensive to the laws of physics.
👉 See also: Tottenham vs FC Barcelona: Why This Matchup Still Matters in 2026
Most scorers who average 30+ points are "black holes"—the ball goes in, and it never comes out. Not Shai. He chipped in 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He was also a nightmare on the other end of the floor, sitting among the league leaders in steals.
The craziest part? He did a lot of this damage in three quarters. Because the Thunder were so dominant, Shai sat out the entire fourth quarter in 17 different games. That’s essentially four full games' worth of minutes he spent chilling on the bench because his team was already up by 20.
Why This Race Was Different
Look, Nikola Jokic is a basketball god. There’s no other way to put it. This year, the Joker put up a stat line that looked like a typo: 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists. A 30-point triple-double average while shooting nearly 58%? That’s 2K-on-easy-mode stuff.
So why did Shai win?
It came down to the "General" factor.
The Thunder didn’t just win; they dismantled the league. They finished with a 68-14 record, the best in the NBA. They outscored opponents by 12.6 points per game, which is the best point differential in the 79-year history of the league.
✨ Don't miss: Buddy Hield Sacramento Kings: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
You can't argue with history.
When Chet Holmgren missed a massive 50-game chunk of the season due to injury, and Isaiah Hartenstein was in and out of the lineup, the "experts" expected OKC to slide. Instead, Shai just dialed it up. He averaged 33.5 points against other 50-win teams. He didn't just beat the bad teams; he hunted the giants.
The Canadian Connection and the Legacy
SGA is only the second Canadian to ever win the Michael Jordan Trophy. The first was Steve Nash, who won back-to-back titles in the mid-2000s. It’s a huge moment for basketball north of the border, but it’s even bigger for the "small market" narrative.
For years, the talk was about when Shai would demand a trade to Miami or LA.
He stayed.
He built.
And now he’s the face of a franchise that looks like it could dominate the late 2020s.
The voting reflected a shift in the media's mindset. For a few years, we were obsessed with "Historical Stats." We gave the award to whoever had the most triple-doubles or the highest PER. This year, the voters went back to basics: Who is the best player on the best team who also happens to be an unstoppable individual force?
🔗 Read more: Why the March Madness 2022 Bracket Still Haunts Your Sports Betting Group Chat
What This Means for Your 2025-26 Season Watch
Now that we're midway through the 2025-26 season, the question of who was the mvp in the nba this year is shifting from a look back at Shai to a look forward. As of January 2026, the race is wide open again.
Nikola Jokic is currently atop the MVP ladder despite a knee injury that has kept him sidelined for a few weeks. Shai is right on his heels at number two. If you're looking to follow the race this year, keep an eye on these specific indicators:
- Team Seeding: The "60-win rule" is back. If the Celtics (with Jaylen Brown rising) or the Thunder finish with the 1-seed, their stars have the inside track.
- The "New" Faces: Watch out for Cade Cunningham. He’s dragging a resurgent Pistons team into the spotlight and has climbed to the top 5 of the MVP ladder.
- Health and Availability: With the 65-game rule firmly in place, one bad ankle sprain can disqualify a candidate.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved that you don't need to be the loudest person in the room to be the most valuable. You just need to be the smoothest. They call him "Shai Butter" for a reason. Watching him work the pick-and-roll is like watching a master chef—everything is intentional, nothing is rushed, and the result is always exactly what he planned.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve for the next award cycle, stop looking at the box scores and start watching the "gravity" these players have on the court. Shai wins because he forces four defenders to watch him while he calmly finds the open man or sinks a step-back jumper. That’s the true definition of an MVP.
What to do now:
- Check the updated Kia MVP ladder on NBA.com every Friday to see if Jokic's injury has let Shai or Jaylen Brown slip into the #1 spot.
- Watch the Thunder's upcoming games against other top-seeded teams; SGA usually puts up his biggest numbers when the lights are brightest.
- Monitor the Western Conference standings; if OKC stays at the top, Shai is very likely to become a back-to-back winner.