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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander edges out Nikola Jokić to claim NBA MVP in fiercely contested race

Posted on by Starteelic
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22
May
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Wins First NBA MVP, Outduels Nikola Jokić in One of the Most Hotly Contested Races in Recent History

In what will go down as one of the most fiercely debated MVP battles of the modern NBA era, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has officially been crowned the league’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024–25 season. The 26-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder guard edged out Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić to claim the award, capping off a historic season in which he led his young, surging Thunder squad to the NBA’s best regular-season record—and did so as the league’s leading scorer.

For Gilgeous-Alexander, this moment marks the culmination of years of steady growth, relentless work, and a deep commitment to both ends of the floor. Already a two-time All-NBA First Team selection and a top-five MVP finalist in each of the past two seasons, SGA finally broke through and captured the league’s highest individual honor. He becomes the first Thunder player to win MVP since Russell Westbrook in 2017—and firmly establishes himself as one of the premier faces of the NBA’s next generation.

A Historic Season for SGA
Gilgeous-Alexander secured 71 of 100 first-place votes, a commanding margin over Jokić, who received the remaining 29. No other player, including fellow finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo, received a single first- or second-place vote—an astonishing testament to how dominant the two-man race truly was.

And make no mistake: SGA’s case was ironclad.

Across 76 regular-season games, he averaged a league-best 32.7 points per game while also contributing 6.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 block. He shot 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc—on nearly six attempts per game—demonstrating both volume and efficiency. But it wasn’t just the scoring or the stat line that stood out. It was the way he imposed his will on both ends of the court, night in and night out, for a Thunder team that finished with a jaw-dropping 68–14 record.

Oklahoma City clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with 13 games left in the regular season, pulling away from the field in decisive fashion. They ended the year 16 games ahead of the second-place Houston Rockets and four ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the next-best record in the league at 64–18. The Thunder also led the league in defensive rating, allowing just 106.6 points per 100 possessions—a testament to SGA’s impact not just as a scorer, but as a tone-setting perimeter defender.

Jokić’s Legendary Campaign Falls Just Short
Yet, in any other season, it might have been Nikola Jokić standing on the MVP podium once again.

The Serbian center delivered what many consider to be one of the greatest statistical seasons in league history. In 70 games, he averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists—essentially a season-long triple-double—while shooting 57.6% from the floor and a remarkable 41.7% from deep on nearly five attempts per game. He joined Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players to average a triple-double across a full season.

Jokić’s advanced metrics were also off the charts. He posted a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 32.04, the fourth-highest single-season mark in NBA history—trailing only his own 2021–22 season, Wilt Chamberlain in 1961–62, and Giannis in 2021–22. And yet, despite this statistical brilliance, it simply wasn’t enough to overcome the narrative, the momentum, and the winning machine that was the Thunder.

One advanced stat that tilted slightly in SGA’s favor was win shares per 48 minutes—a measure of a player’s per-minute impact on winning. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA at .309, narrowly ahead of Jokić’s .307. No other player cracked the .250 mark.

The Value Debate
For seven consecutive seasons, Jokić has dragged the Nuggets to playoff relevance without the benefit of a second All-Star. Once again, he was the engine behind Denver’s 50–32 finish and No. 4 seed in the West. His presence on the court was the ultimate swing factor: with Jokić playing, the Nuggets outscored opponents by 594 points. Without him, they were outscored by 275.

That kind of on/off differential is elite—but somehow, SGA and the Thunder managed to top even that. Oklahoma City outscored opponents by an astounding 918 points with SGA on the court. And even when he sat, the team still maintained a net positive margin (+137). The Thunder were not only dominant with their star—they were still competitive without him, which speaks volumes about their depth and cohesion, but also about how SGA’s presence elevated the entire operation.

Playoff Clash Seals the Narrative (Even if It Didn’t Count)
Though MVP voting concludes at the end of the regular season, the postseason often provides a kind of informal validation for the outcome. In this case, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić met in the Western Conference semifinals—and the MVP winner got the last word.

In a grueling seven-game series, SGA’s Thunder defeated the defending champion Nuggets in decisive fashion, capping the series with a blowout Game 7 victory. Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar play, composure, and leadership on the game’s biggest stage further bolstered his MVP credentials, even though the award had already been decided.

The Thunder then steamrolled the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, keeping the momentum going into the next phase of what could be a storybook playoff run.

The Verdict: A Crown Earned
In the end, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was everything a Most Valuable Player is supposed to be: the league’s top scorer, a premier defender, the best player on the best team, and the undeniable leader of a title contender. His combination of statistical excellence, team success, and two-way impact made it impossible for voters to ignore.

As the torch begins to pass from one era of NBA greats to the next, SGA’s MVP win doesn’t just honor what he’s done—it signals what’s to come. The NBA has a new superstar leading the charge, and he’s just getting started.

Starteelic

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