Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named 2025-26 NBA MVP

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be named the 2025-26 NBA MVP, ESPN reported Sunday.

It will mark his second consecutive MVP award and make him the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back honors. He follows Nikola Jokic, who won it two straight times in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won it the two years before Jokic.

The Denver Nuggets star and San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama were also finalists for the award.

Gilgeous-Alexander, fresh off an NBA championship last season, led his team back to the top of the NBA in 2025-26, earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. He averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 68 games for the Thunder.

He was also named the Clutch Player of the Year.

Jokic and Wembanyama also put together strong seasons that could have earned them MVP honors. Jokic averaged a triple-double with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. It was the second straight year he averaged a triple-double.

Wembanyama bounced back from a blood clot that cost him the back half of last season. He averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. The Spurs finished second in the Western Conference after going 34-48 last season.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama both have their eyes set on a championship. The Western Conference Finals matchup is expected to be a strong contest.