The Thunder became NBA champions for the first time ever, with superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the center of it all as he claimed Finals MVP honors.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood on top of the basketball world as NBA Most Valuable Player — and finally, so did the OKC Thunder.
SGA was named Finals MVP after the Thunder denied the Indiana Pacers in the winner-take-all Game 7, 103-91, to claim their first championship on Monday (PH time).
He had 29 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds — becoming the first player in league history to claim the regular season MVP, Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP in the same year since the conference award was introduced in 2022.
Not counting the Conference Finals MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's first MVP, Finals MVP, and Scoring Champion in the same season since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.
Entering the all-or-nothing Game 7, Gilgeous-Alexander was averaging 30.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in the series.
The 26-year-old Canadian, who also earned his third consecutive All-NBA selection, became the first player since James Harden in 2018-19 to lead the league in games with at least 20 points (75), 30 points (49), 40 points (13) and 50 points (four) during the regular season.