Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander expected to be 2nd Canadian to win NBA MVP when award announced tonight

The NBA will be announcing this season’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday night, with the top contenders being Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. It is expected that the trend of players born outside of the U.S. winning the award will continue for the seventh consecutive time.

Antetokounmpo, who is of Greek and Nigerian descent, previously won the MVP award in 2019 and 2020. Jokic, a Serbian player, claimed the title in 2021, 2022, and 2024. Joel Embiid, born in Cameroon but now a U.S. citizen, took home the award in 2023.

The frontrunner for this year’s MVP title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, is Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian guard had an outstanding season, leading the league in scoring with an average of 32.7 points per game and guiding the Thunder to a league-best 68-14 record. This would be his first MVP win, after finishing fifth in the voting in 2023 and second last season.

Steve Nash, a Canadian basketball legend from Victoria, B.C., remains the only other Canadian to have won the MVP award, claiming it consecutively in 2005-06 while playing for the Phoenix Suns.

Jokic made history this season by becoming the first center to average a triple-double, posting impressive stats of 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. He also became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top three in all three of those categories.

Antetokounmpo had a stellar season as well, averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.

The MVP award, along with other NBA honors, is determined by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and submit their votes before the start of the playoffs.

Several other awards have already been announced, including Coach of the Year going to Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson, Most Improved Player to Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, Rookie of the Year to San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, and Defensive Player of the Year to Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.

Additional awards revealed by the league post-regular season include the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award to Golden State’s Stephen Curry, the Hustle Award to Warriors’ Draymond Green, Executive of the Year to Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti, and the Social Justice Award and Sportsmanship Award to Boston’s Jrue Holiday.