OKC Thunder Superstar Receives Little Love in ESPN’s Latest Survey

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s most recent superstar, achieved deific levels of success in the 2024-25 season.

He was an All-Star starter, first-team All-NBA, earned his first scoring title, won the league MVP, and capped everything off with a championship and Finals MVP. For all intents and purposes, he saw the best individual season in Thunder history, delivering the team’s first championship since relocation and cementing himself as likely the best player in franchise history.

Despite that, it seems he could have an uphill battle next season in winning over award voters again.

Per ESPN’s latest survey — which featured voting on numerous NBA storylines — Nikola Jokic received the most votes to be the 2025-26 MVP, ousting SGA 7-5. Others receiving votes were Luka Doncic with four, Victor Wembanyama with two, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Edwards with one apiece.

 Gilgeous-Alexander’s not being selected to repeat as MVP isn’t earth-shattering. Jokic received only two more votes, and the race between the two for last year’s MVP did indeed come down to the wire. Even more, Jokic and the Nuggets were one of two teams to take the NBA champs to a seven-game series, with Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein saying Denver was the only team they truly feared last postseason.

What could be described as a “snubbing”, would be the very next question on the survey: “Who is the best player right now?”

Here, Gilgeous-Alexander received not one vote, with Jokic receiving 19 and Doncic getting the only other.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps assured readers it was moreso love for Jokic than a slight toward SGA: “For just about every voter, there was very little hesitation in picking Jokic before moving on to the next question — a nod more to his remarkable run than a slight at Gilgeous-Alexander or anyone else.”

Even still, the complete negation of Gilgeous-Alexander from best-in-the-world talks is odd. Jokic obviously has claim, having won MVP three times and continuing his success with another all-time statistical season. 

But the Thunder superstar’s 2024-25 season was un-ignorable. And while many think this may be the pinnacle for the Canadian sensation, he’s proven himself capable of improving in all seven of his seasons so far. And one shouldn’t make a habit of counting him out of anything.