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Charles Barkley Didn't Hesitate When Naming NBA MVP

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated May 8, 2025 10:50 AM ET

The second round of the NBA playoffs is underway.

While many fans have been debating who will win the Eastern and Western Conference finals and compete for a chance to win a title, "Inside the NBA" analyst Charles Barkley shared his pick for NBA MVP.

The MVP debate is widely considered a two-man race between Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Barkley spoke on the Thunder amid their second-round series against the Nuggets. He claimed OKC to be the best defensive team in the NBA.

The NBA legend also said that the league can already "send it to him," when referring to Gilgeous-Alexander as the NBA MVP.

"This the best defensive team in the NBA and this guy right here is the MVP," Barkley said. "They can already send it to him. We going to see it in the Western Conference Finals when he get his MVP trophy."

"I think that team's gonna win the Championship."

Chuck on OKC after their historic first half pic.twitter.com/DAXhPW47iR
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2025

Barkley also believes Gilgeous-Alexander will lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship. They're currently tied 1-1 in a series against the Nuggets, having defeated Jokic and Denver, 149-106, in Game 2.

"I think that team is going to win a championship," Barkley said.

After suffering a loss in Game 1 of the second-round series, the Thunder were dominant in Game 2, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who posted 34 points, four rebounds and eight assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring during the regular season, posting 32.7 points per game. The OKC guard has also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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