Ahead of Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA MVP of the 2026 season.
It’s the second Most Valuable Player Award in just as many seasons for Gilgeous-Alexander. He joins 13 other players all-time in doing so, and is the first since Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who won back-to-back MVPs in 2021 and 2022.
Nikola Jokic finished in second place in the 2026 NBA MVP voting results, followed by Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thunder’s Mark Daigneault Reacts to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Winning 2026 NBA MVP
Ahead of the Thunder’s Game 1 matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault spoke highly of the back-to-back MVP.
“We have a great team, and Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is a huge part of that,” the Thunder head coach said. “The thing he leads the charge with is that he’s a great guy. He’s got great make-up. Just last night at the ceremony, listening to him, watching how he handles himself amidst massive success. The thing I appreciate the most about him is not what he’s doing, but it’s how he does it.
I’m grateful for that every day, not only with him (Gilgeous-Alexander), but with the rest of the guys. When you coach a team like this, the minute you lack gratitude for that, in my opinion, you’re not fulfilling your responsibility. They deserve the best that I can give them.”
Daigneault continues to be impressed by the team he coaches, even after five years as Oklahoma City’s head coach.
Oklahoma City is yet to lose a game this postseason, going 8-0 over the first two rounds against the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers.
As for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he continues to play like the most valuable player in the playoffs as well. In the regular season, he averaged 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on 55.3/38.6/87.9 shooting splits.
He’s averaging 29.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.1 assists on 51.4/32.3/85.5 shooting splits through eight games in the postseason.
Thunder Lists Jalen Williams as Available for Game 1 vs. Spurs
Oklahoma City has been without forward Jalen Williams since Game 2 of the first round. The 25-year-old has been dealing with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain.
Williams is listed as available to return to the Thunder lineup in Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs after missing the past six games, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Coach Daigneault said that the forward won’t have a hard cap on his minutes in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
This is great news for the Thunder, as Jalen Williams was a crucial piece to their title run in 2025. Although injuries have limited the forward to just 33 regular-season games and two in the postseason, he contributed 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game for the Thunder on 48.4/29.9/83.7 shooting splits.
Williams averaged 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists with impressive 61.5/50.0/71.4 shooting splits in the postseason before suffering the setback.
Although Oklahoma City has done nothing but win over the last month, it will need all the help it can against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
In the regular season, the Spurs had the Thunder’s number. Through five regular-season matchups between the teams, San Antonio won four of them.
Tip-off for Game 1 is set for 7:30 p.m. CDT.
Thunder Head Coach Reacts to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Winning 2026 NBA MVP