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Oklahoma City Thunder is the favorite to win the NBA title, and their superstar player is a reason.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his first NBA MVP Prize on Wednesday.
The Canadian star and the league top scorer posted career heights with 32.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, bringing the Thunder to the head n ° 1 in the West with a record of 68-14 from the NBA.
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Oklahoma goalkeeper City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks at the Minnesota Timberwolves goalkeeper, Donte Divincenzo (0) in the fourth quarter in match 1 of the Western 2025 conference at the Paycc Center. (Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)
Gilgeous-Alexander finished second place last year in Nikola Jokić. The Thunder beat Denver Nuggets from Jokić in seven games in the second round.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the 11th choice in total by the Charlotte Hornets in 2018, but was quickly exchanged to the Los Angeles clippers. He spent only a year there, however, and was part of a package that sent Paul George to Los Angeles.
Since the trade, Gilgeous-Alexander has been a diamond in the harsh, and he will soon be appointed first all-NBA team by third consecutive year. He also led the NBA in the free throws made per game in the last two seasons.
Oklahoma City Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Thunder goalkeeper (2) shoots Denver Nuggets in the second period in match 7 of the second round of the NBA 2025 playoffs at the Pyycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2025. (Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)
Oklahoma City launched the Western Conference final with a 114-88 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which fell into the same round at the Dallas Mavericks last year. OKC dragged out of four points at halftime, but was ahead of Minnesota 70-40 in the second period.
It is the furthest from OKC in the playoffs since 2016, when the Thunder underwent a 3-1 lead to the Golden State Warriors from 73-9 in the Conference final. The Warriors then did the same in LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Gilgeous-Alexander beat Jokić, who was looking for a fourth MVP in five years. No one won four MVPs in five years since James did from 2009 to 2013.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) from Oklahoma City Thunder famous in match 7 of the second round of the NBA 2025 qualifiers against the Denver Nuggets on May 18, 2025, at the Paycc Center in Oklahoma City. (Zach Beeker / NBAE via Getty Images)
Jokić collected on average 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game, the first time he has an average of a triple-double in one season. And he became the third player to do so, joining Oscar Robertson and his teammate Russell Westbrook, who did it four times.
Oklahoma City, formerly known as Seattle Supersonics, is still looking for its first NBA title since the move (Seattle won the NBA title in 1979). The Thunder made the NBA final in 2012, when they lost to James and Miami Heat.
