Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren warms up before the start of Game 7 of the second round against the Denver Nuggets for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren sends strong message about SGA after Game 7 win

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated May 18, 2025 7:07 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a convincing win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, and Chet Holmgren delivered a strong message to the world about his teammate after the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 35 points in the Thunder's 125-93 win over Denver in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals series between the two teams. Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the NBA with 32.7 points per game during the regular season, scored 31 or more points in all but two games against the Nuggets.

As the Thunder were celebrating their big win on Sunday, Holmgren chimed in on Gilgeous-Alexander's interview to show his teammate some love.

"You know who this is? The MVP," Holmgren said.

"You know who this is? The MVP."

Chet letting the world know about SGA after OKC advances ⚡ pic.twitter.com/3LHWDBvq5z
— ESPN (@espn) May 18, 2025

Holmgren is probably right. Gilgeous-Alexander is widely expected to be named NBA MVP and beat out reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who has won the award three times.

Gilgeous-Alexander made an even stronger case that he is deserving of being named MVP with his performance in the playoff series, but that will not factor into MVP voting. The award is for the regular season only, and voting was conducted weeks ago.

Either way, SGA is Oklahoma City's MVP. Just ask Holmgren, or anyone else in the Thunder's locker room.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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