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For the NBA’s biggest award, it’s better late than never.
On Wednesday, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the league’s MVP. The league had apparently held onto its announcement for days, and said Wednesday morning that the award would be announced Wednesday night. Then ESPN’s Shams Charania beat the league to the punch and reported Wednesday afternoon that it would be Gilgeous-Alexander.
He won over fellow finalists Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. It marked the seventh consecutive year with an international winner, as James Harden was the last American MVP in 2018.
Gilgeous-Alexander won the league’s scoring title by averaging 31.7 points per game on the Thunder, who went a league-best 68–14 in the regular season. He has been named All-NBA two of the past three seasons to make him eligible for a supermax, but wasn’t eligible because of service requirements. He is eligible to sign a four-year, $293 million extension with the Thunder this summer. He previously dropped his agent in preparation of signing the supermax.
The NBA doesn’t name the winner immediately after the regular season and has never chosen a set date for the winner. The reveal is typically right in the middle of the playoffs while the player is chasing a championship.
It can make for heartfelt moments, such as Joel Embiid’s 2023 win, which was highlighted by his son running into his arms mid-speech. It can also produce some awkwardness, with Jokic winning his third in four years a season ago during the Western Conference semifinals as the Nuggets were getting upset by the Timberwolves.
By winning, Gilgeous-Alexander—who scored 31 points Tuesday night in a blowout conference finals Game 1 win—helped the NBA avoid any awkward moments. Jokic and the Nuggets were just eliminated by the Thunder in seven games on Sunday, and Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks has never been more uncertain, as the team appears unlikely to be able to build a contender around him.
Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander were largely thought of as the two likeliest winners, and the clock kept ticking on announcement as they dueled in the conference semifinals. Wednesday night’s announcement will be significantly later than the league has customarily named its MVP in recent years.
Here are the past four dates for the MVP announcement dating back to 2022, which marked the first normal season since the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022: May 11
2023: May 2
2024: May 8
2025: May 21
The NBA’s MVP is voted on by a panel of 100 members of the media who cover the league.
