SGA CLINCHES MVP
After finishing second in last year’s round of NBA MVP voting, and fifth in 2023, Ontario native Shai Gilegous-Alexander (SGA) was named the league’s most valuable player. The Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC)’s star guard is the second Canadian to ever win the award, alongside basketball icon Steve Nash, who won in both 2005 and 2006. He is also the seventh consecutive non-American player to secure the trophy.
The trophy marks the end of Gilgeous-Alexander’s impressive seventh season in the league, one where he averaged 32.7 points per game. During the entire season, he only scored under 20 points in one game. Additionally, only Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Jordan have ever averaged at least 32.0 points and six assists per game, while shooting 50 per cent or better from the field. He was a force elsewhere on the court too, averaging five rebounds and 6.4 assists. SGA is only the third player from OKC to win the award, following Kevin Durant in 2014 and Russell Westbrook in 2017.
On June 13, SGA erupted with 35 points. Facing a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter and a potential 1–3 series hole, he scored 15 points in the final 4:38. This led a 12–1 run and sealed a 111–104 Game 4 victory over the Indiana Pacers. He finished with 35 points, including a flawless 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, with zero assists — the first time since 2020. His late surge tied the series 2–2 and shifted momentum heading into Game 5. SGA’s performance in that game helps his case for Finals MVP, already having scored 72 points in his first two finals games. This sets a new record for combined points in the first two finals games of a player's career.
SGA was born in Toronto, Ontario into a family of athletes. His mother was a 400m sprinter and his dad was a high school basketball standout. He is married to former college soccer player Hailey Summers, and he thanked her in his emotional acceptance speech after winning MVP.
"Thank you," SGA began, before tearing up. "Sorry I'm so dramatic ... Thank you for everything you are for me, for our son Ares. You were the first person to show me what love really meant. What love really meant, [and] what sacrifice really meant. And I can't wait to spend the rest of this journey called life with you. So thank you for everything."