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Steve Nash had a fantastic career, but Hamilton's finest continues to set a new pace.
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Published May 21, 2025 • 4 minute read
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles the ball up court against Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series on May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. Photo by Nate Billings /The Associated Press
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Two decades after the reign of Steve Nash, Canada has a new king of the court.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was named NBA most valuable player on Wednesday night, convincingly winning over Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic, who won the award three of the previous four years, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won two in a row prior.
Gilgeous-Alexander, of Hamilton, joins Nash, the Victoria, B.C.-raised basketball Hall of Famer as the only Canadians to win NBA MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander had previously equalled Nash as Canadians to make an all-NBA team (Nash made the first team three times, which Gilgeous-Alexander will equal shortly, the second team and third twice each).
Gilgeous-Alexander got 71 first-place votes and 913 in total from the voting panel, Jokic got the other 29 first place votes and 787 in all and Antetokounmpo had 470 votes, none for first or second.
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The win caps a remarkable rise for Gilgeous-Alexander, who was cut from his first high-school team in Hamilton and was later an under-the- radar recruit for NCAA powerhouse Kentucky, before a strong freshman season catapulted him to the 11th pick in the NBA lottery and the Los Angeles Clippers. Gilgeous-Alexander just kept getting better and took off upon being traded to the Thunder in the Paul George blockbuster that also convinced Kawhi Leonard to sign with the Clippers. He finished fifth in MVP voting two years ago, second in 2023-24 and led the NBA in scoring for a Thunder team that won 68 games to top the NBA this year.
Gilgeous-Alexander thanked his Thunder teammates after his win was announced on TNT before New York and Indiana played in the Eastern Conference final.
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“Without them, it’s not possible,” he said, sounding quite a bit like Nash throughout his storied career.
“You try so hard throughout the season to not think about it, trying just to win games … as a competitor, as a kid growing up, it’s always in the back of your mind. I’m very thankful to be on this side of the ballot.”
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals and a block in 76 games, setting career highs in points, assists and blocks per game. He was also the only player to average at least 1.5 steals and one block.
The league’s scoring champ, not surprisingly, topped all players in 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-point games and scored 20 in 72 straight, the longest streak since 1963-64. Fittingly, since he won the Michael Jordan Trophy, he joined Jordan as the second player to average at least 32 points, six assists and shoot 50% in a season.
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Gilgeous-Alexander has long managed to project an understated confidence and belief in his abilities that never branches into arrogance.
Way back in December of 2019, in his second game close to home and first as a member of the Thunder, he was starting to break out. Gilgeous-Alexander had scored 20 points in five straight games, something only Nash and two other Canadians had accomplished and then dropped 32 on the Raptors, the most ever by a Canadian against Canada’s only team.
“I plan on making a leap like this every year,” he said before the game. “And then hopefully all the accolades follow after that.”
Well, can’t say he didn’t warn us.
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Nash won MVP in 2005 and 2006 while playing for the Phoenix Suns, but Gilgeous-Alexander is reaching new heights. Nash never advanced past the conference final, but the Thunder is up 1-0 on Minnesota after SGA scored 31 in the series opener. OKC will be a heavy favourite over either Eastern Conference squad if the Thunder advances.
The Thunder outscored opponents by an NBA-record 12.9 points per game, which meant Gilgeous-Alexander sat out a number of entire fourth quarters because the team’s lead was so comfortable.
Gilgeous-Alexander also has plenty of runway. He’s only 26, while Nash was 31 when he won MVP for the first time. By then Nash was done playing for the Canadian national team. Gilgeous-Alexander helped them win bronze at the World Cup two summers ago and qualify for the Olympics for the first time since the Nash-led team made it in 2000. They will try again for a medal in Los Angeles in 2028.
Expect Gilgeous-Alexander to pick up plenty more hardware before then as he builds his case as the best Canadian baller ever.
He wasn’t going there about a year and half ago when he told reporters in response to Stephon Marbury saying he was the greatest: “I appreciate that, but Steve is still ahead of me. I’m going to try to catch him, but he’s still ahead of me.”
With Wednesday’s win and Oklahoma City on the precipice of a trip to the NBA Final and perhaps more, that’s no longer the case.
@WolstatSun
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