Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders MVP Win: A Team Effort and Surprise Gift from the Thunder

In the city of Oklahoma City, the sight of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifting his first Most Valuable Player (MVP) award was not a surprise, as these types of moments often follow a predictable script. As he accepted the award, he praised his teammates who sat with him on the stage, and shared his journey to this moment. However, the bling that accompanied the award was different. It wasn't his own, but that of his teammates, who were sporting new Rolex watches as gifts from Gilgeous-Alexander for helping him win the MVP trophy. This gesture was unique in sports, as it is usually seen in other sports when a running back reaches 2,000 yards or a quarterback wins MVP, where they gift their offensive linemen something as a token of appreciation. The conversation about the watches began last season on the team bus, and Gilgeous-Alexander realized he had to follow through on his promise. As he got closer to achieving the goal, he knew he had to deliver on what he said he would do. The MVP announcement was made an hour before the news conference, and it was clear that Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder had a feeling that the two-man race would be quite definitive. The finalists announced by the NBA were Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokić, and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, most agreed that the stiffest competition would come between the two Western Conference finalists who happened to go head-to-head in the last round of the playoffs. The outcome was almost a clean reversal from last season in terms of how 1-2 laid out. Gilgeous-Alexander received 71 of the 100 first-place votes while Jokić received the other 29. Last year, Jokić earned 79 first-place votes while Gilgeous-Alexander took 15 of them. The team success of the Thunder was as much a deciding factor as Gilgeous-Alexander's individual play. The Thunder finished 18 games ahead of Denver in the standings, thus negating Jokić's bid for a fourth MVP award. Jokić averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists while Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32 points per game.