Oklahoma City (AFP) – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player on Sunday after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a title-clinching victory over the Indiana Pacers. The 26-year-old Canadian star becomes the first player since LeBron James in 2012-2013 to win both the NBA regular season MVP and Finals MVP in the same campaign.
“For me this is a win for my family, it’s a win for my friends, it’s a win for everybody that was in my corner growing up,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder’s 103-91 win. “It means everything. This is why you play the sport — you play every sport to win. We have a team full of competitors, we did what it took to be champions and we deserve this. We rose to the moment and here we are.”
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The Thunder star joins an exclusive club of only 11 players to have achieved the feat which includes James, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Willis Reed.
Gilgeous-Alexander produced a dazzling performance in Sunday’s game seven decider in Oklahoma City, finishing with 29 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds, a pair of blocked shots, and a steal.
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