Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA MVP for 2024-25 season

Welcome to the MVP club, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star has won the 2024-25 NBA MVP award, the league announced Wednesday.

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It marks the first for Gilgeous-Alexander, who played a leading role in the Thunder's league-best 68-14 record that saw them top the Western Conference ladder.

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Gilgeous-Alexander posted averages of 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks on a 51.9/37.5/89.8 shooting split. His points and assists averages marked career highs.

A three-time All-Star, the Kentucky product was the season's scoring champion for the first time. Oklahoma City acquired the Toronto native after his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers, with Paul George the main piece headed the other way.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, spending just one season as a Wildcat.

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He received 71 of a possible 100 first-place votes to top three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Jokic, who helped Denver to a 50-32 record before losing to Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder in the second round, received the other 29 first-place votes. He recorded his first ever triple-double campaign, averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals.

Only Oscar Robertson (1961-62) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21) have averaged a triple double over the course of a season.

The Nuggets star won the MVP in consecutive years in 2021 and 2022 before picking up his third in 2024, with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid halting Jokic's run in 2023. He was attempting to become just the sixth player in league history to win four or more MVP awards -- joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Michael Jordan (5), Bill Russell (5), LeBron James (4) and Wilt Chamberlain (4).

Gilgeous-Alexander placed second in the MVP voting last season, with Jokic the winner and ex-Dallas Maverick Luka Doncic rounding out the top three.

Placing third in this year's MVP voting was Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won the MVP back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.