In a historic achievement, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been awarded the prestigious 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player title, receiving the coveted Michael Jordan Trophy. This marks Gilgeous-Alexander's first time winning the MVP award, following a remarkable second-place finish in the voting last season and a fifth-place finish in the 2022-23 season.
With this award, Gilgeous-Alexander becomes only the second player from Canada to earn the Kia NBA MVP honor, joining the ranks of two-time winner Steve Nash, who secured the award in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Additionally, he is the third player in Thunder history to claim this accolade, following the legendary Kevin Durant (2013-14) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17).
During the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander delivered an outstanding performance, averaging 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.72 steals, and 1.01 blocks over 34.2 minutes in 76 games. His scoring average set new career highs in points, assists, and blocks per game. This season also marked the first time he won the NBA scoring title.
Gilgeous-Alexander made history by becoming the first player since James Harden in the 2018-19 season to lead the league in games with at least 20 points (75), 30 points (49), 40 points (13), and 50 points (four) in a single season. His only game scoring below 20 points was an 18-point effort against the San Antonio Spurs on October 30, 2024. Remarkably, he maintained a streak of scoring at least 20 points in each of his last 72 games, the longest in a single season since 1963-64, when Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson set their own impressive streaks.
Gilgeous-Alexander demonstrated exceptional shooting skills, finishing the season with a field goal percentage of 51.9%, a career-high three-point shooting percentage of 37.5%, and an impressive 89.8% from the free throw line, ranking sixth in the NBA. He led the league in free throws made with 601 and achieved a personal best with 163 three-pointers, significantly surpassing his previous high of 95 three-pointers set last season.
In a remarkable statistical feat, Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 32.0 points and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 50.0% or better from the field in a season. Jordan accomplished this twice, in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
On the defensive end, Gilgeous-Alexander was the only qualifying player in the NBA to average at least 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He ranked fifth in the league in steals per game, contributing to a Thunder team that led the NBA in defensive rating at 106.6.
In addition to his MVP honors, Gilgeous-Alexander was selected as an NBA All-Star for the third consecutive season. He received the Kia NBA Western Conference Player of the Month award three times throughout the season (October/November, December, and March) and was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week on two occasions (Weeks 10 and 20). He also played a significant role in leading the Thunder to a runner-up finish in the Emirates NBA Cup, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Under Gilgeous-Alexander's leadership, the Oklahoma City Thunder finished the season with an impressive record of 68-14, achieving the best record in the NBA and tying for the sixth-best single-season record in league history. They outscored their opponents by an NBA-record 12.9 points per game, solidifying their dominance in the league.
The 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award was determined by a global media panel of 100 voters, with the results being independently tabulated by the accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steps into the spotlight as the MVP, he not only highlights his talent and hard work but also represents a significant moment in the history of Canadian basketball.
