Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the 2025-26 NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced Sunday evening. After a hotly debated race featuring a rotating cast of candidates throughout the season, the Thunder star and defending winner retained his crown after a historically efficient offensive season. Nikola Jokić of the Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs finished second and third, respectively.
Historic Shooting Efficiency
Though Gilgeous-Alexander's raw scoring technically went down from 32.7 to 31.1 points per game, he went about scoring those points far more efficiently. He closed the season shooting 55.3% from the floor, 38.6% on 3s and 87.9% on free throws.
The only other player to ever achieve those shooting percentages on more than 250 total shots was Kevin Durant, who did it in 47 games during the 2022-23 season. Gilgeous-Alexander did it in 68 games and still managed to finish his season with fewer total turnovers and almost twice as many assists.
Voting Results
Gilgeous-Alexander received 83 of the 100 first-place votes. Jokić got 10, Wembanyama received five and Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who finished fifth in the voting behind fourth-place Luka Dončić, got two first-place votes.
2026 NBA MVP Voting Results
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Nikola Jokić
- Victor Wembanyama
- Luka Dončić
- Cade Cunningham
Statistical Dominance
Gilgeous-Alexander scored the second-most points per game in the NBA at 31.1, trailing only Luka Dončić, but he did so while averaging the 42nd-most touches per game at 66.6. This meant he nearly scored one point for every two times he touched the ball.
He led the team with the most regular-season wins at 64, and he did so with his only teammate who had made an All-Star Game before this season, Jalen Williams, playing just 33 games.
Historic Company
Now Gilgeous-Alexander is in historic company. He is now the 16th player in NBA history to win multiple MVP awards, joining the six existing two-time winners (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Steve Nash and Bob Pettit).
Among those multi-time winners, Gilgeous-Alexander is the 14th player to win the award consecutively, as every other multi-time winner besides Malone and Pettit did so.
International Dominance
Gilgeous-Alexander's victory now marks eight straight victories for players born outside of the United States. Antetokounmpo won two, followed by two for Jokić, one for Joel Embiid, another for Jokić and then Gilgeous-Alexander's first trophy. Gilgeous-Alexander joins Nash as Canada's second two-time winner.
This is Gilgeous-Alexander's age-27 season, which would historically suggest he will be right back in the mix for more MVP honors in the future.