Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA MVP after historic Thunder season

SGA is a deserving winner of his first MVP award, after finishing 2nd to Nikola Jokic in last year's vote. OKC overcame Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the Conference semi-finals in a thrilling 4-3 series. Jokic finished 2nd in the MVP race this time around, with Giannis Antetokounmpo in 3rd.

His stats back that up. Shai led the league in scoring, averaging 32.7 points per game. He also added 6.4 assists and 5 rebounds per game. The new MVP is on a remarkable streak of 72 consecutive regular season games where he has scored at least 20 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the standout player on the NBA's standout team, which is usually a good recipe for winning the MVP award. The Thunder broke the all-time NBA record for points differential this season, defeating their opponents by an average of 12.9 points per game.

OKC also had the league's best defense this year, which SGA was a key part of. Only Victor Wembanyama and Dyson Daniels had more steals and blocks than Gilgeous-Alexander this year, highlighting his impact on both sides of the floor.

SGA becomes just the second Canadian to win NBA MVP, following in the footsteps of Steve Nash. It is the seventh year in a row that a non-American has won the MVP, underlining the increasing international footprint in the NBA.

In his acceptance speech, Gilgeous-Alexander became emotional thanking his wife, Hailey Summers, and paid tribute to his teammates. He bought each member of the Thunder squad a Rolex as a gesture of appreciation.

For the newly crowned MVP, attention now switches back to the OKC Thunder's NBA Finals showdown against the Indiana Pacers, as they continue their pursuit of a first-ever NBA title.

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