Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke the mold when he won MVP in 2025-26. He became the first guard to win the award, as well as the first player to take home the honor without averaging double figures in at least two statistical areas, since former Thunder star James Harden in 2017-18.
In the process, Gilgeous-Alexander offered an essential reminder that greatness needs to be measured in ways that range beyond mere statistics.
To be clear: Triple-double machines Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook, a Thunder legend, deserved their MVP awards. For that matter, LeBron James earned each of his accolades when he set the standard for well-rounded contributions, and should be praised accordingly as one of the greatest of all time.
A narrow-minded trend developed, however, in which voters and general fans and analysts became rigid while thinking they were expanding their purview to incorporate multiple phases of the game.
Yes, players who can stuff the stat sheet are undoubtedly incredible and clearly possess remarkably balanced skill sets. What ultimately became of that narrative, however, was the exclusion of players whose impact was equally as profound, but whose statistics were perhaps less well-rounded.
Thankfully, Gilgeous-Alexander has provided a welcome and essential reminder of how the best players redefine criteria just when it begins to become too unyielding to permit growth in our understanding of greatness.
SGA proof stats alone can't decide who MVP should be
Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP in 2024-25 during a season in which he won the scoring title and led the Thunder to the best record in the NBA. He established himself as a dominant force by taking over late in games and, often times, ending them before the fourth quarter could even begin.
Gilgeous-Alexander posted absurd statistics of 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 block per game while shooting the lights out at .519/.375/.898.
Fast forward to 2025-26 and Gilgeous-Alexander is again a heavy favorite to win MVP. He's second in the race for the scoring title, however, and isn't necessarily averaging the gaudiest of statistics from an all-time perspective—great as they may be—at 31.8 points, 6.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
What's made Gilgeous-Alexander such a prominent candidate, however, is the nuance of what he offers and the value he thus provides.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominates in ways box score won't always show
For one, Gilgeous-Alexander has been obscenely efficient at a clip of .554/.383/.895. He's also No. 1 among qualified players in what the NBA defines as clutch points per game, as well as points per 36 minutes and points per isolation possession. All while committing just 2.1 turnovers and winning head-to-head matchups with fellow candidates.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been sensational while racking up a 3-0 record against Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, and 1-0 marks against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics.
Jokic continues to be a statistical marvel who's every bit as impressive as the box score would imply. As such, an MVP award would be deserved. What Gilgeous-Alexander has reminded voters of, however, is the importance of looking beyond how close a player is to multi-statistic dominance and embracing that success can be packaged in countless ways.
Jokic can still justifiably win awards on that basis, as could those who came before him. Gilgeous-Alexander has simply altered the thought process for the greater good.