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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a well-known face of the basketball scene and a 26-year-old basketball player from Canada, led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the first NBA championship in the club's history. This impressive season culminated in his selection as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final series, and let's recall that he previously won the MVP award for the regular part of the season.
In this way, the 26-year-old ace became only the third player in recent NBA history who managed to win both the most prestigious MVP awards in the same season; after the legend of LeBron James in the 2012/13 season. It's not a small thing either, because in the entire history of the league, only ten have succeeded in this.
A legend like Michael Jordan repeated it as many as four times, while LeBron and Larry Bird won the MVP of the Finals and the MVP of the season twice each. Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Willis Reed also found themselves in this exclusive company.
Post-victory statement
“A lot of people don’t realize how many hours of work, emotions and sleepless nights went into this. This team really deserved this success,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who dominated the entire season as the leading scorer with an average of 32.7 points per game.
“Don’t think that this is just my victory. This is for my family, my friends and everyone who believed in me. This is also for the best fans in the world,” he added with pride.
Only Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar and O’Neal have won the MVP, the most points in the league and the MVP of the Finals in a single season, which shows how much of a feat it is.
“Yeah, it’s hard to believe that I’m part of that kind of community,” he admitted to nba.com.
“As a kid, you dream big. But you never know if those dreams will come true. I’m happy that mine became a reality.”
Coach Mark Daigneault did not hide his admiration for his best player: “What’s fascinating is that he remains the same no matter the circumstances. He is calm, present and confident on the court.”
With this success, Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his place among the NBA greats, and now everyone is eagerly awaiting what the next season will bring.
English (US) ·