Former Kentucky star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA MVP

May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) talks to a tv reporter following his teams win against the Denver Nuggets in game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is seven wins away from a world championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring a team-high 31 points with nine assists, five rebounds and three steals en route to a 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

He’s zero wins away from being named league MVP, ESPN’s Shams Charania breaking the news on Wednesday.

Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won the NBA MVP award, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 21, 2025

The NBA will officially announce the honor Wednesday night, beating out Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

He’s the first former Kentucky player to take home NBA Most Valuable Player honors.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring with 72 consecutive games of 20-point performances while also leading the league in 20-point games (75), 30-point games (49), 40-point games (13) and 50-point games (4). He averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 34.2 minutes per contest and 76 games overall.

In the postseason, the former Kentucky star averaged 27.8 points in a four-game sweep vs. Memphis, then averaged 29.7 points in seven games against Denver in the Western Conference Semifinals to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

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He’s just the 10th player in NBA history to lead a team in scoring that won 60 or more games, nine of the ten earning league MVP honors. Only two others in OKC franchise history have been named MVP, joining Kevin Durant in 2014 and Russell Westbrook in 2017.

What’s next for SGA? He’s about to get paid, qualifying for the four-year, $294 million supermax extension from the Thunder — a deal the franchise will be happy to make, making him the richest player in NBA history in terms of annual value ($73.3 million).

During his one-and-done season in Lexington, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team after averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest. Now, he’s the best player in the NBA.

#LaFamilia strikes again.