Canada’s Gilgeous-Alexander headlines MVP nominees, NBA announces award finalists

The NBA’s Most Valuable Player of the Year award could be heading to Hamilton, Ont.

Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named a finalist for MVP on Sunday night when the league announced the remaining three finalists for each of its major regular-season awards.

The 26-year-old had yet another stellar campaign, averaging an NBA-leading and career-high 32.7 points per game through 76 contests. Gilgeous-Alexander put up at least 20 points in all but one appearance this season, at one point matching the great Michael Jordan’s mark of consecutive 20-point games with 69 straight.

Gilgeous-Alexander also posted career highs in average assists (6.4), steals (1.7, tied-10th in the NBA), blocks (1.0), made field goals (11.3) and three-point percentage (37.5). He’s also the only guard in league history to shoot better than 57 per cent on over 15 two-point shots per game for a full season.

His efforts led the NBA’s youngest team to the league’s best record at 68-14 — the most wins by a squad since the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder ranked third on offence and first on defence as they ran away with the No. 1 seed in the West, holding a 16-game lead over the next-closest team by the end of the regular season. OKC also smashed the previous point-differential record set by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971-72, outscoring opponents by 12.9 points per game.

The three-time all-star finished top five in MVP voting the last two seasons, ending the 2023-24 campaign as runner-up to three-time winner Nikola Jokic. The Denver Nuggets star is a finalist alongside Gilgeous-Alexander once more after he became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season (29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists).

Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was named as the third finalist in contention for the 2024-25 MVP award. The former two-time winner averaged 30.4 points (second in the NBA), 11.9 rebounds (sixth), 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks. This year will mark the seventh consecutive season that Antetokounmpo has finished at least top five in MVP voting. Last year, he finished fourth behind Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and then-Dallas Mavericks, now-Lakers’ Luka Doncic.

The NBA also announced the finalists for six other major awards on Sunday night, here is a full list of all the nominees.

Most Improved Player
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers

Defensive Player of the Year
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

Clutch Player of the Year
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Sixth Man of the Year
Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons
Ty Jerome, Cleveland Cavaliers
Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics

Rookie of the Year
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies

Coach of the Year
Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers
J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
Ime Udoka, Houston Rockets

Most Valuable Player
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

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