At long last, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named Most Valuable Player of the 2024-25 NBA season. The announcement comes over a month after Gilgeous-Alexander was announced as a finalist and is sweet redemption after the 26-year-old was runner-up one season ago.
Gilgeous-Alexander's win is yet another reminder of the game's globalization, as he is now the seventh consecutive international winner of the game's most heralded individual honor. And while the previous six awards went to natives of Europe and Africa, the Thunder's superstar hails from the Great White North.
For most, Gilgeous-Alexander's Canadian roots have not been much of a secret. He's proudly represented Team Canada on the international stage, helping the program end a 24-year Olympic drought with its appearance at the 2024 games in Paris.
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Now, Gilgeous-Alexander joins Steve Nash, the captain of that 2000 Olympic team, as the second Canadian to be named the league's MVP.
Here is more on the history of Canadians to win MVP, in which Gilgeous-Alexander builds on the legacy that began with Nash's first win exactly 20 years ago.
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Canadians to win NBA MVP
With SGA's win, there have now been two Canadians to hoist the MVP award. Nash was named MVP in back-to-back seasons for his efforts as the Suns' maestro in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Where Nash led the league in assists during both of his NBA seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP after leading the league in scoring for a Thunder team that won a league-best 68 games.
Here's more on their respective Canadian roots and MVP cases.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Hamilton, Ontario
Born in Toronto, Gilgeous-Alexander was raised in nearby Hamilton, Ontario, where he lived until moving to the United States to finish his prep career in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP comes during his age-26 season, which is his seventh in the NBA. Since being was acquired by the Thunder in 2019, Gilgeous-Alexander has made exponential improvements year over year, earning his first of three consecutive All-Star selections in 2023 as well as All-NBA First Team honors in 2023 and 2024, with a third expected in 2025.
The 2024-25 season is Gilgeous-Alexander's best to date, as he led the NBA in scoring with 32.7 points per game while OKC earned a franchise-record 68 wins in addition to posting the largest average margin of victory in league history.
| Season | Age | Games | PPG | RPG | APG | Record |
| 2024-25 | 26 | 76 | 32.7 | 5.0 | 6.4 | 68-14 |
Steve Nash: Victoria, British Columbia
While Nash was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1974, his family moved to Saskatchewan in 1975 before settling in Victoria, British Columbia.
The first of Nash's two MVP awards came during his age-30 season, his eighth in the NBA and the first year of his second stint with the Suns. In each of Nash's two MVP seasons, he led the NBA in assists while Phoenix finished first in the West in 2005 and second in 2006.
| Season | Age | Games | PPG | RPG | APG | Record |
| 2004-05 | 30 | 75 | 15.5 | 3.3 | 11.5 | 62-20 |
| 2005-06 | 31 | 79 | 18.8 | 4.2 | 10.5 | 54-28 |