Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has apparently changed his tune on the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.
Making his debut as part of ESPN’s coverage of the Western Conference Finals, Malone said Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “showed why he’s the MVP” in OKC’s Game 1 win. Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 31 points and dished out 9 assists in a game that saw the Thunder sprint ahead in the second half en route to a 26-point win, just over 48 hours after they ousted the Nuggets from the playoffs.
"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he showed why he's the MVP."
Michael Malone gave SGA his props after OKC's Game 1 win over Minnesota 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5nSAUKuCJG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 21, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander is and has been the odds-on favorite to win the MVP Award over Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But his stance Tuesday was a stark change from two months ago, when he publicly had Jokic as his clear-cut MVP.
“If you didn't know Nikola won three MVPs, and I do player A vs player B … the guy [who] is averaging a triple double, the guy who is top three in the three major statistical categories – he wins MVP 10 times out of 10,” Malone said during a March 10 news conference.
Jokic would go on to finish one of the most remarkable statistical seasons in league history, becoming just the third player and first center ever to average a triple-double over the course of a season and becoming the first player ever to finish in the top 10 in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.
Malone, of course, was fired with just three games left in the regular season as the Nuggets were sliding down the standings as losers of 7 of 10 games.
Under interim head coach David Adelman, Denver beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the Western Conference first round and took Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder to seven games in the West semifinals.
The MVP winner was set to be announced Wednesday night at 5 p.m. MT.
What's next for the Nuggets after their Game 7 blowout loss against the Thunder? The Denver7 Sports team broke it down on the latest "Talk of the Town"
What's next for Nuggets after Game 7 blowout in OKC? | Talk of the Town