Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous–Alexander becomes the first former Wildcat to win the NBA’s MVP award.

After leading his team to a league-best 68-14 record, clinching the number one seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. Gilgeous–Alexander led the NBA with 32.7 points per game. 

A proven three-level scorer, the recently crowned MVP had the most 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-point games this season. On an efficient 51.9% from the field.

The last MVP-winning guard to shoot above 50% in a season was unanimous victor Stephen Curry in the 2015-2016 season.

Gilgeous–Alexander is known for being able to score from anywhere on the floor. In addition to having a knack for drawing fouls, he led the NBA with 7.9 free-throw attempts per game. 

His tendency to draw fouls has been a topic of debate amongst fans. However, it’s undeniable that Gilgeous–Alexander is one of the best from the line, shooting at a near 90% clip in the regular season.

Defensively, the Thunder guard was a standout, averaging a block, one of five guards to do so, and 1.7 steals per game.

Gilgeous–Alexander beat out Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

In recent years, the MVP battle has favored big men, as the former Wildcat becomes the first guard to win MVP since former Houston Rocket James Harden accomplished the feat in the 2017-18 season.

Jokic has been on a historic run by winning three of the last four MVP awards. In 2024, Jokic edged out Gilgeous–Alexander, who finished in second place last year. 

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020.

Joining a class of his own, Gilgeous–Alexander is the first of 137 NBA-bound former Kentucky players to win the NBA’s MVP award. His journey to the top is a unique one.

Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Gilgeous–Alexander chose to play for the 2016 Canadian national team rather than taking the traditional AAU circuit. This meant he would be missing the Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas circuits, where athletes often show off their skills for scouts.

Nevertheless, Gilgeous–Alexander was named a consensus four-star prospect.

Originally, Gilgeous–Alexander committed to the University of Florida as a senior in high school. Ultimately, the coveted prospect reopened his recruitment process and later opted for Kentucky over Florida, Syracuse, UNLV, NC State, Texas and Kansas.

Joining a stacked 2017 recruiting class curated by head coach John Calipari that featured future NBA players Jarred Vanderbilt, Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox and PJ Washington.

In his lone season in Lexington, Gilgeous–Alexander led Kentucky in scoring with 21 points per game on 55.3% shooting from the field to pair with 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. The Wildcats went 26-11 in the regular season. 

Gilgeous–Alexander and the Cats trekked through the SEC Tournament, beating Georgia and Alabama handily in the opening rounds. The Wildcats went on to beat their border state rival, Tennessee, in the SEC Championship game; Gilgeous–Alexander went off for a collegiate career-high 29 points in the 77-72 victory. 

It stands today as Kentucky’s most recent SEC Championship. 

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, their season would come to an end in the Sweet Sixteen. Kentucky lost narrowly, 61-58, against the Wildcats of Kansas State. 

Despite Kentucky’s shortcomings, it was a successful individual season for Gilgeous–Alexander, as he was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team. 

The Canadian native declared for the 2018 NBA Draft after a promising second half of the season. 

Gilgeous–Alexander was drafted No. 11 by the Charlotte Hornets but was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a pick swap. Charlotte received the No. 12 selection, which became Miles Bridges from Michigan State, and two future second-round picks. 

According to Bleacher Report, the freshly drafted prospect was comparable to the likes of NBA veterans Shaun Livingston and Alfred Payton due to his 6-foot-6 frame and almost 7-foot wingspan. 

In the eyes of scouts, he lacked a quick twitch and a reliable jump shot despite being a lottery pick.

Gilgeous–Alexander spent his rookie season in Los Angeles, starting 73 games for the Clippers while averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. The Clippers guard finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the All-Rookie Second Team.

Los Angeles snuck into the playoffs as an No. 8 seed to face off against the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors. The Clippers lost in a competitive six-game series.

On July 10, 2019, Gilgeous–Alexander was traded for the second time in his career. In blockbuster fashion, Oklahoma City traded star Paul George to the Clippers in exchange for Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks and the rights to swap two other first-round picks. 

Since arriving in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander’s career has blossomed.

Over the previous three seasons, the Thunder have steadily improved in parallel to Gilgeous-Alexander as a player. For the third straight season, the Thunder superstar has been named an All-Star and finished top-5 in MVP voting.

Additionally, this will be Gilgeous-Alexander’s third straight All-NBA First Team nod.

Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the third Thunder player to win MVP in franchise history, following in the footsteps of Oklahoma City legends and future Hall of Famers Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. 

Currently, the Thunder are in pursuit of an NBA Championship led by Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Oklahoma City beat the Memphis Grizzlies in a 4-0 sweep in round one. The Thunder beat the Jokic-led Denver Nuggets in the second round in seven games to punch a ticket to the Western Conference Finals.

This week, Oklahoma City faces off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thus far, Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder hold a 1-0 lead in the series.

The winner will place a bid in the 2025 NBA Finals.