In a league that has seen legends rise and dynasties fall, the 2024–25 NBA season will be remembered for the unprecedented brilliance of one man: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Not only did the Oklahoma City Thunder star lead his team to the top of the Western Conference, but he also swept every major individual award—an achievement unmatched in modern NBA history. From MVP to All-Defensive First Team, Shai’s campaign was a masterclass in consistency, leadership, and two-way excellence that elevated him into rarefied air. The league has crowned many greats, but few have ever been so thoroughly dominant across every category of impact. Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just play at a high level—he played like a force of nature.
Entering the season, Shai was already viewed as a star. He had finished top-five in MVP voting the previous year and had guided the young Thunder into playoff contention earlier than most expected. Still, there were questions: Could he be the best player on a true contender? Could he lead with consistency? Could he deliver under pressure, night after night, while improving his already elite efficiency? By the end of this campaign, those questions were not only answered—they were rendered obsolete. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did everything that could be asked of a franchise player and more. He transcended box scores and highlight reels, leading by example on the court and in the locker room, elevating teammates, and proving himself as the complete basketball package.
Statistically, his numbers told a story of dominance: over 30 points per game, nearly 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and shooting splits that rivaled peak seasons from the likes of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. But the impact went far deeper. Shai’s ability to control the tempo of a game became almost clinical. He would glide into the mid-range with surgical precision, sink shots with defenders draped on him, and draw fouls with subtle head fakes and footwork that mirrored the craft of old-school legends. On offense, he was unguardable. On defense, he was relentless. It’s rare for a player to lead the league in scoring threats while also anchoring one of the top perimeter defenses in the league. Yet, night after night, that’s exactly what he did.
The MVP award, once a debate among media and fans, became a formality by midseason. Nikola Jokić had another brilliant year. So did Giannis Antetokounmpo. Luka Dončić’s numbers were staggering. But none of them combined winning, consistency, and two-way excellence like Shai did. He wasn’t padding stats or capitalizing on usage. His value came in moments: clutch baskets against the Nuggets, a 45-point explosion in a playoff-seeding game versus Phoenix, defensive stops against elite wings, late-game free throws when it mattered most. He had the poise of a 12-year veteran and the hunger of a rookie chasing his first big break.
But the MVP was just the beginning. Shai also claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award, shocking many who had long believed perimeter defenders couldn’t win it without gaudy block or rebound numbers. Yet the Thunder’s defense was built on his ability to suffocate opposing ballhandlers, rotate with discipline, and force turnovers with surgical precision. He led the league in deflections and contested more shots at the guard position than anyone in the last decade. His lateral quickness, combined with an almost psychic anticipation, made him a one-man wall on the perimeter. Coaches game-planned around his presence. Offenses tried to avoid his side of the court altogether. He made the All-Defensive First Team with unanimous votes—a first for a guard since Gary Payton’s prime.
Shai was also awarded the Clutch Player of the Year. No surprise there. Time after time, when the Thunder needed a bucket or a stop, it was SGA who answered the call. He hit five game-winners over the course of the season, three of them in nationally televised matchups that sparked MVP chants from road crowds. What made Shai’s clutch dominance even more remarkable was his composure. He never forced shots. He read the defense, trusted teammates, and picked his spots with surgical calm. His ability to create clean looks out of broken plays became a security blanket for his young Thunder squad, and the league took notice. No one was more dangerous in the final two minutes of a tight game, and everyone knew it.
Then came the All-NBA First Team selection, which was unanimous, followed by the NBA Sportsmanship Award, acknowledging his grace and class amid his rise to superstardom. Teammates and opponents alike spoke of his professionalism, humility, and work ethic. While others chased highlights, Shai chased wins. While others talked, he listened, learned, and led. Veterans who once overlooked him began to praise him. Analysts who once questioned his ceiling began to compare him to all-time greats. And through it all, he stayed the same: poised, measured, laser-focused on improving and helping his team succeed.
Oklahoma City’s rise mirrored Shai’s ascension. Under his leadership, the Thunder clinched the number one seed in the Western Conference, finishing with 60 wins for the first time since the Durant-Westbrook era. But unlike that era, this team was built on ball movement, selflessness, and depth—foundations laid by a culture that Shai helped establish. His leadership wasn’t loud or brash, but it was unmistakable. He pulled Jalen Williams aside after games to review film. He stayed late to shoot with Chet Holmgren. He took the blame in losses and deflected praise in wins. Coaches say he became the extension of the coaching staff on the floor, managing rotations, reading defensive shifts, and communicating coverages with the clarity of a veteran point guard.
His playoff run further solidified the season’s legendary status. In the first round, Shai averaged 32 points, 7 assists, and 2.5 steals, dismantling a veteran-laden Clippers team that had no answers for his shot-making and defensive pressure. In the second round, he elevated again, outdueling Luka Dončić in a seven-game thriller that saw Shai score 38 points in the decisive Game 7, while also recording 4 steals and holding Luka to one of his worst shooting nights of the season. By the time Oklahoma City reached the Conference Finals, the basketball world had run out of superlatives. He was being called the best two-way guard since Dwyane Wade, a modern Kobe with better passing, a mix of Paul George’s grace and Chris Paul’s control. The comparisons were flattering, but unnecessary. Shai had become the first true SGA.
What made this run all the more incredible was how he did it. No drama. No load management. No coasting. Shai played 78 regular-season games, all at a high level. He practiced, traveled, mentored, competed, and delivered. In an age where stars often preserve themselves for the postseason, Shai proved that excellence could be sustainable, that every night could matter, and that dominance didn’t have to come with ego. He let his game speak, and the message was thunderous.
For the Thunder organization, this season was validation. Years of patient rebuilding, smart drafting, and careful development had culminated in a campaign that will be studied by franchises for years to come. General manager Sam Presti’s decision to build around Gilgeous-Alexander, acquired in the Paul George trade, now looks like a stroke of genius. Instead of flipping him for more picks or trying to pair him with another star too soon, they trusted in his growth. And Shai rewarded that trust by becoming not just a superstar, but the face of a winning culture.
As the final buzzer sounded on the Thunder’s playoff exit in the NBA Finals—a hard-fought loss to a deeper, more experienced Boston team—Shai walked off the court to a standing ovation. Not just from Thunder fans, but from basketball fans who had watched his season unfold with admiration. He didn’t need a ring to validate what had already become clear: he had delivered one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history.
In the months that followed, the awards kept coming. MVP. DPOY. Clutch Player. All-NBA. All-Defense. Sportsmanship. His trophy case had grown as large as his legend. But through it all, he remained grounded. In interviews, he spoke about growth, about improving his three-point shot, about helping the team reach new heights next year. There was no sense of arrival—only hunger.
What separates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from so many others isn’t just skill. It’s the mindset. The patience. The process. In a league obsessed with speed—fast breaks, fast fame, fast trades—Shai has moved with purpose. With grace. With intentionality. And now, with history.
This was not just a great season. This was a blueprint. A standard. A reminder that greatness isn’t always loud, flashy, or born overnight. Sometimes, it’s built in silence, perfected in repetition, and revealed on the grandest stage with quiet brilliance. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander swept the NBA’s highest honors not because he demanded them, but because he earned them—every possession, every minute, every game.
As the league looks ahead to a new season, one thing is certain: the path to greatness now runs through Oklahoma City. And at the heart of it stands Shai, the architect of a historic run
