Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA MVP on Wednesday.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news to X:
"Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won the NBA MVP award, sources tell ESPN."
ESPN's Tim MacMahon followed up with a more detailed report on SGA's historic season, which, amazingly, compares statistically to a couple of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan's first two MVP seasons.
"Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 32.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting from the floor and also averaged 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks," MacMahon wrote.
"The only other player in NBA history to average at least 30 points on 50% shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game in a season is Michael Jordan, who did it in 1987-88 and 1990-91 -- the seasons that he won the first two of his five MVPs."
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Now just seven wins away from an NBA title, Gilgeous-Alexander has the chance to finish his historic season in epic fashion.
The Thunder look like the best team remaining in the playoffs at the moment, especially after overwhelming Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves with defensive ferocity in the second half of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
While Gilgeous-Alexander continues to draw criticism for his excessive foul-baiting, there's no doubt that OKC as a team deserves a championship due to their relentless defensive pressure, a quality that has separated the Thunder from the rest of the pack all season long.
SGA is eligible for a $294 million supermax extension this summer that would give him the highest yearly average salary in league history: $73.3 million.
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