Oklahoma City's Shay Gilges-Alexander was officially named the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) last night.
Gilges-Alexander thus became the 18th player in NBA history to win at least two MVP awards and the 14th to win them two years in a row.
He is the seventh basketball player in the last 40 years to win multiple MVP awards before turning 28. The others are Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
The legendary Steve Nash, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell also won the MVP award two years in a row, and each of them was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
"It's special. All those guys shaped the game of basketball. All those guys changed basketball and the way it's played. Being in that circle is something I don't take lightly. I'm very grateful for it," Gilges-Alexander said at a news conference surrounded by his teammates.
This recognition given to the Canadian basketball player also means that for the eighth time in a row, the NBA's MVP award has gone to a player born outside the United States. This streak began in 2019 when Antetokounmpo won the MVP award.
The other finalists for the MVP award were Denver center Nikola Jokic and San Antonio's Viktor Vembanaja. Gilges-Alexander won 83 of the 100 votes for first place, Jokic was second, and the Frenchman was third.
The Canadian averaged 31,1 points, 6,6 assists and 4,3 rebounds per game in 68 games played for the reigning NBA champions this season.
"Basketball is a team sport. All the numbers, all the accolades, everything I do on the court... If we had only won ten games, I wouldn't be here. So, thank you very much. I love you," Giljes-Alexander said to his teammates.
Gilges-Alexander and his teammates won't be able to celebrate for long, however, as they have to start the Western Conference finals series against San Antonio tomorrow.
"They're obviously a really good team. They've been right behind us all season, they're a really good team," Gilges-Alexander said of San Antonio.
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