Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander becomes 14th player to win back-to-back NBA MVPs | CBC Sports

"Hamilton, Ont., native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA's Most Valuable Player on Sunday for the second consecutive year. He became the 18th player to win at least two MVP awards and the 14th to win them in back-to-back fashion. "Who he is has never changed," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "I think he's touched up the edges on his game and on his leadership and on his perspective, just like anybody else that's coming of age.""

"The win for Gilgeous-Alexander marks the eighth consecutive time that the NBA's MVP was born outside the U.S. The run started with Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (born in Greece, of Nigerian descent) in 2019 and 2020, then Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) in 2021 and 2022, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (born in Cameroon but has since become a U.S. citizen) in 2023 and Jokic again in 2024. And in 2025 and 2026, SGA is the MVP."

""Shai's so good at creating separation when he's able to play 1-on-1," Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "He's just really hard to stop, for any defender." Internationals dominate voting again International players finished 1-2-3 in the MVP balloting for the fifth consecutive season, with Jokic and San Antonio's star French centre Victor Wembanyama the other finalists this year."

"Last season the order was Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Antetokounmpo. In 2024, it was Jokic, then Gilgeous-Alexander and then-Dallas guard, now Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic of Slovenia. In 2023, it was Embiid, then Jokic, then Antetokoun"

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a Hamilton, Ontario native, won the NBA Most Valuable Player award for a second consecutive year with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He became the 18th player to win at least two MVP awards and the 14th to win them back-to-back. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Gilgeous-Alexander’s identity has not changed, while his game, leadership, and perspective have improved. The award marked the eighth straight time the MVP was born outside the United States, following Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid, with Jokic again in 2024. International players finished first, second, and third in MVP voting for a fifth consecutive season, with Jokic and Victor Wembanyama as finalists.

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