NBA-Thunder’s ‘SGA’ in rare air after Finals MVP prize rounds off remarkable season

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(Reuters) -Shai Gilgeous-Alexander crowned one of the best individual seasons in NBA history by guiding the Oklahoma City Thunder to the league championship and being named the MVP of the Finals after their victory over Indiana in Game 7 on Sunday.

Gilgeous-Alexander is only the fourth player – and the first since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 – to earn the scoring title as well as league and Finals MVP honors in the same season.

“This isn’t just a win for me – this is a win for my family, this is a win for my friends, this is a win for everybody who was in my corner growing up, this is a win for the fans, the best fans in the world,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after hoisting the trophy at home in the Paycom Center.

The 103-91 win over the Pacers brought the franchise their first title since relocating from Seattle in 2008.

It also gave fans exactly what they have been dreaming of since the Los Angeles Clippers traded the promising point guard to Oklahoma City ahead of his sophomore season six years ago.

The key figure behind the franchise’s rebuild, he lifted the Thunder into the postseason last year after three straight losing seasons before his breathtaking 2024-25 campaign.

Averaging 32.7 points on 51.9% shooting from the floor with 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game, the 26-year-old Canadian led the young Thunder team to a 68-14 record, good for the fifth-most wins in an NBA season.

“We definitely still have room to grow and that’s the fun part of this. So many of us can still get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters.

“It’s not very many of us on the team that are quote-un-quote in our prime – or even close to it. We have a lot of room to grow individually and as a group and I’m excited for the future of this team.”

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)