Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Caps Greatest Canadian Season Ever With Finals MVP

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spent years building toward this moment. On Sunday night, the Canadian superstar reached the mountaintop, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first NBA championship and becoming the first Canadian to win Finals MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a 103–91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, capping one of the most dominant seasons in recent history. Oklahoma City finished with 84 total wins between the regular season and playoffs, and Gilgeous-Alexander was the driving force behind it all.

At just 26 years old, the Hamilton native completed a rare trifecta, winning the scoring title, regular-season MVP, and Finals MVP. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players in NBA history to earn all three honours in a single season.

He backed it up with elite production in the Finals: 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. In the decisive Game 7, he poured in 29 points and dished out 12 assists, stepping up with clutch shot-making and steady playmaking when it mattered most.

Oklahoma City broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 34–20 behind smothering defense and timely execution. Montreal’s Luguentz Dort helped spark the run with a deep three-pointer late in the shot clock and continued to be a tone-setter on defense.

It was a historic series for Canadian basketball. Dort played a key role throughout the Finals, while the Pacers featured two Canadians of their own: Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin led Indiana in Game 7 with 24 points off the bench, trying to make up for the early loss of Tyrese Haliburton, who exited in the first quarter with what appeared to be a serious Achilles injury. Nembhard and former Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam shouldered more of the offensive load, but the Pacers could not keep pace.

Sunday was a landmark night for basketball in Canada. Gilgeous-Alexander did not just win a title. He delivered the greatest season ever by a Canadian in the NBA, surpassing even the high bar set by two-time MVP Steve Nash.

From Hamilton to the top of the basketball world, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has arrived.

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