Think about how short a list 14 names is in an NBA history that stretches back to the 1950s. Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Bird, Magic, Jordan, LeBron, Curry, Giannis, Jokic. Now Shai. You don't sneak into that group. You don't get there on a hot two-month stretch. You get there by being the best player in basketball for two straight regular seasons, and now SGA has done it.
The historic context laid out flat — 14th player ever, end of debate.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's historic run continues. 14th player ever to win back to back MVPs https://t.co/dQkDIiaATL
What makes this one hit a little different is the framing around it. This isn't a legacy MVP or a body-of-work nod — this is a guy in the middle of his prime forcing the league to acknowledge him as the alpha. The Thunder went from cute young team to dominant force, and Shai has been the engine. He's not borrowing greatness from anybody. He's building his own thing in real time.
Witnessed greatness, plain and simple.
Now, fair warning to the room — not everybody is fully on board with regular-season-only awards, and Big Cat made the case that if playoff résumés counted, the conversation might've gone a different way.
Big Cat lobbying for a playoff-inclusive MVP and floating Bball Paul as the would-be winner.
This is why playoffs should be included because if they did it would’ve been Bball Paul’s award to lose
That's a separate fight for a separate day though. The trophy is what it is and the rules are what they are. Under the actual criteria, Shai stacked another one and walked into a club that has 13 other names and a whole lot of championship rings between them. The next challenge is obvious. Back-to-back MVPs is the appetizer. The guys on that list are mostly remembered for what they did in June, not in May.