Though the NBA may have planned on officially announcing it at 7:30 pm (ET) on Sunday evening, the word has already leaked out -- OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is once again the league's MVP.
With this, the 27-year-old becomes just the 14 player in the association's history to receive this illustrious honor in back-to-back campaigns. With ridiculous averages of 31.1 points and 6.6 assists per game on a career-best 55.3 percent shooting from the floor while leading the charge for Oklahoma City to a league-best 64-18 record, it's easy to see why.
Now, with this particular title already locked down, Gilgeous-Alexander is only two steps away from joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players ever to win league MVP, an NBA Championship, and Finals MVP in consecutive years.
Already two rounds down in this year's postseason, and with the Western Conference Finals set to tip off on Monday night, Shai and the Thunder are technically just eight wins away from potentially punching his ticket into yet another exclusive club.
LeBron James encouraging Thunder star in pursuit of joining him, MJ
Along the way during this year's playoff run, Gilgeous-Alexander ultimately had to take down the only active member of this aforementioned back-to-back club in James, and did so by way of a commanding 4-0 series sweep in the conference semifinals.
Directly after their epic down-to-the-wire, Game 4 clash out in Los Angeles, the Lakers superstar embraced Shai on the hardwood, telling him and his teammates to "go get another one."
As things currently stand, Oklahoma City is well on its way toward doing exactly this and running things back as NBA Champions, sporting the game's best odds of claiming the Larry O'Brien Trophy at minus-165.
Frankly, this status of theirs should come as no surprise.
Not only have they not lost a single game thus far in the playoffs, but they are breezing by their opponents with a wild point differential of plus-16.6, while being forced to play without All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, who has been sidelined with a left hamstring strain for all but one and a half games.
Fortunately, J-Dub has used this time off to properly rehab such a tricky ailment and, per ESPN's Shams Charania, has officially been listed as available heading into Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs.
One can only imagine just how much better this Thunder team should look with their franchise wing back in the fold.
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