The Oklahoma City superstar collected his second MVP trophy in a matter of weeks, winning the Magic Johnson Trophy for the most valuable player of the Western Conference Finals after his Thunder trounced the Minnesota Timberwolves to book a ticket to the NBA Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA MVP last Wednesday, edging out Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic in the league-wide voting. He now becomes the first player since the Conference Finals MVPs were created (2022) to win both awards in the same season.
Already entering the West Finals as the voted-on best player in the league, the Hamilton, Ont., native cemented his status atop the sport.
He came into Wednesday’s game averaging 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 42.9 per cent from the field, and only upped his averages after a 34-point, seven-rebound and eight-assist performance in the close-out Game 5.
The 26-year-old had a season for the ages, winning the scoring title by averaging 32.7 points per game on .519/.375/.898 shooting splits while adding 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
That regular-season campaign earned him his third straight nomination to the All-NBA First Team.
But the journey isn’t complete for the Canadian superstar. He and the Thunder now await the winner of the Pacers-Knicks East Final for a shot at basketball glory and the chance to earn a third MVP in one year — the Finals MVP.