Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expected to win second straight MVP

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to do it again.

Multiple sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania that Gilgeous-Alexander will win his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award, with the official announcement scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, just before Game 7 between Cleveland and Detroit.

No surprise here.

Gilgeous-Alexander followed up his first MVP season with another dominant run, averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 55.3% from the field. He led Oklahoma City to a league-best 64 wins and has the Thunder rolling through the postseason.

The resume stacks up historically.

He becomes the first player since Nikola Jokic in 2021-22 to win back-to-back MVPs and the first guard to do it since Stephen Curry. His efficiency at that volume puts him in rare company, joining Michael Jordan as the only players to average at least 30 points and five assists while shooting 50% over a four-year stretch.

There’s more.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 20 points in every game this season, something only Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor had previously done. His league-leading plus-minus of +788 finished well ahead of runner-up Victor Wembanyama.

And he may not be done adding to the list.

A championship would put him alongside names like Jordan, Bill Russell and LeBron James as players to win consecutive MVPs and titles.