NBA: Prolific, executioner of the Blues, “free throw merchant”… Five things to know about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s new MVP

Make way for a new king. After Nikola Jokic was crowned for the third time in his career last year , Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has succeeded him as the prestigious NBA regular season MVP. Learn more about the 26-year-old Canadian point guard, the Oklahoma City Thunder's mainstay.

League's top scorer

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the favorite of journalists in the MVP voting for his leadership, passing, defensive, and especially scoring skills. He led the NBA in scoring last season with 32.7 points per game, ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks, 30.4).

"SGA's" greatest strength lies in his consistency. He scored at least 20 points in 72 consecutive games, surpassing Michael Jordan's best streak of 69. Only Wilt Chamberlain (80 twice) and Oscar Robertson (76) did better in the 1960s. It was largely thanks to him that the Thunder finished with the best record in the entire league (68 wins, 14 losses).

Not expected as a prodigy

It wasn't until the ^11th pick of the 2018 draft that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's name was mentioned. The former Kentucky native was nothing short of promising. After a decent first season with the Los Angeles Clippers, he was traded to the Californian franchise , which acquired Paul George , then one of the best players in the world. A deal that largely worked out in OKC's favor over time.

George has been hampered by injuries and has occasionally disappointed in the playoffs. The Clippers have never lived up to expectations with him. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has steadily improved, going from 19 points per game in 2019-20 to 31.4 in 2022-23. This season, he was ranked ^fifth for the MVP award.

France's nightmare at the 2023 World Cup

Olympic and European runner-up France was expected to perform at the 2023 World Cup. Their adventure turned into a fiasco with a first-round elimination. Les Bleus notably failed in their opening match against "SGA" Canada. The Toronto-born point guard gave them the full package: 27 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Nicolas Batum, Terry Tarpey, Élie Okobo… No Frenchman was able to slow him down.

Canada thus crushed France (95-65) and even finished on the podium at the World Cup, defeating the United States in the match for ^third place (127-118 after overtime). Les Bleus took their revenge in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics (82-73) despite a Gilgeous-Alexander on the scoresheet (27 pts).

His cousin in the NBA, his mother at the Olympics

Sports is a family affair for the Gilgeous-Alexanders. The Thunder point guard is currently facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals , where his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is playing. The latter, drafted ^17th overall in 2019, however, doesn't have the same talent. A 6'5" guard, he's content with a backup role in Minnesota.

"SGA's" father also played basketball at a low level. As for his mother, she was a sprinter born in Antigua and Barbuda, an island nation located in the Caribbean, which she represented at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. She finished ^5th in her 400m heat. "My family doesn't let me get too big a head. Especially my mother, she tells me every day that I'm useless," his son joked last year.

Criticized for his numerous free throws

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's elegance with the ball in hand and fluidity in his dribbling are hallmarks. A formidable mid-range shooter, solid on 3-pointers (37.5% success), he is also an expert in drawing fouls. At 26, the Canadian point guard already has a certain cunning in forcing generous whistles, to the point of being called by his detractors a "free throw merchant ."

"Hate is the best compliment when you talk about great players," defended his coach in Oklahoma City, Mark Daigneault. The statistics do not justify any relentlessness: Gilgeous-Alexander caused 8.8 free throws per game last season ( ^3rd highest average), and 8.7 the season before ( ^4th ). This is less than Giannis Antetokounmpo who caused a little more than 10 the last two seasons, and who even increased to 12.3 in 2022-23.