Former Kentucky Wildcats star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has officially cemented himself among basketball’s all-time elite after capturing his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award following another historic season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The superstar guard continued his meteoric rise in the NBA by leading Oklahoma City to a league-best 64 wins during the 2025-26 season, overcoming major injury challenges that affected the Thunder roster throughout the year. Despite the team dealing with one of the highest totals of games missed due to injuries across the league, Gilgeous-Alexander consistently carried Oklahoma City with dominant performances on both ends of the floor.
According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, Gilgeous-Alexander secured the MVP honor ahead of fellow finalists Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. The league’s official announcement is expected Sunday evening, but the Kentucky product’s remarkable campaign already made him the overwhelming favorite for the award.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged an incredible 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting with elite efficiency throughout the season. His consistency was especially historic, as he did not score fewer than 20 points in a single game all year — a feat previously accomplished only by NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.
The accomplishment places Gilgeous-Alexander in rare company across NBA history. He became the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards since Jokic earned consecutive honors in 2021 and 2022, and the first guard to do so since Stephen Curry captured consecutive MVPs in 2015 and 2016.
Even more impressively, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first guard in league history to average at least 30 points per game while shooting 55% from the field in a season. He also joined Michael Jordan as the only players ever to average 30 points, five assists, and shoot at least 50% across four straight seasons.
Long before becoming one of the NBA’s brightest superstars, Gilgeous-Alexander first emerged nationally during his lone season at University of Kentucky under legendary coach John Calipari. During the 2017-18 campaign, he helped lead Kentucky to an SEC Tournament championship while averaging 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game, eventually rising into lottery-pick territory before being selected 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Now, after back-to-back MVP seasons and another dominant year leading the Thunder into championship contention, Gilgeous-Alexander has fully established himself as one of the defining stars of his generation.
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