The Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing for what figures to be their most difficult challenge of the 2025-26 campaign, as they will square off against the San Antonio Spurs in a highly anticipated Western Conference Finals matchup. The Spurs gave the Thunder the most trouble of any team in the NBA during the regular season, but with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, there’s good reason to believe that OKC will prevail.
After winning an MVP Award and leading Oklahoma City to a Finals victory last year, Gilgeous-Alexander followed that up with another ruthlessly efficient campaign. As a team, the Thunder have yet to lose in the postseason, thanks in large part to Gilgeous-Alexander. And as he continues to lead his squad towards the 2026 NBA Finals, the superstar guard managed to officially win his second-straight MVP Award.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wins 2025-26 NBA MVP Award
Over the past four seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has gradually turned himself into the most lethal offensive player in the league. He has averaged at least 30 points per game each year during that stretch, while also continuing to improve as a playmaker who can create open looks for his teammates. Gilgeous-Alexander finally managed to win his first MVP Award last season after putting together a remarkable individual season (32.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5 RPG, 51.9 FG%).
It’s always tough for a player to build off of an MVP campaign, but Gilgeous-Alexander managed to find a way to do just that. Sure, his scoring dropped slightly from 32.7 points per game to 31.1, but that was due in large part to the fact that he actually was shooting the ball less this season. As a result, Gilgeous-Alexander’s efficiency skyrocketed (he shot 55.3% from the field), and he also set a new career-high in assists per game (6.6).
While he faced stiff competition from Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Gilgeous-Alexander eventually became the clear frontrunner to win this award by the time the regular season drew to a close. Sure enough, it was announced on Sunday morning that the Thunder’s superstar guard had won the MVP Award for the second straight year.
“Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVPs, multiple sources tell ESPN,” Shams Charania of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder Have Their Sights Set on 2026 NBA Finals
GettyOklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Winning individual awards is always nice, especially when it’s the MVP Award. Gilgeous-Alexander has somehow found a way to continually get better with each passing season, and with the Thunder’s front office expertly crafting the roster around him, Oklahoma City could very well become the next dynasty in the NBA.
Of course, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to accomplish that goal, and it starts with taking down a tough Spurs team in order to advance to the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander will surely be happy to have won another MVP Award, but at the end of the day, he and the rest of his teammates are dead set on repeating as NBA champions this season.
Thunder Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Receives Major MVP Announcement from NBA