Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined the exclusive club of NBA legends who have won back-to-back MVP awards, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday.
The official announcement will be made by the NBA later Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder‘s superstar, became only the fifth active player to be named the MVP in consecutive seasons. The others are the Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Golden State Warriors‘ Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who accomplished the feat twice, once with the Cleveland Cavaliers and again with the Miami Heat.
Every retired player to win consecutive MVPs has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. That list includes Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
The other finalists this season were Jokic and the San Antonio Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama, whom Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will face in the Western Conference finals that begin with Monday’s Game 1 in Oklahoma City.
