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Tim MacMahon
OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put the finishing touches on one of the most impressive individual seasons in NBA history by hoisting the Bill Russell Trophy awarded to the Finals MVP.
“This isn’t just a win for me,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after accepting the award. “This is a win for my family. This is a win for my friends. This is a win for everyone who was in my corner growing up. This is a win for the fans.”
Gilgeous-Alexander joined an exclusive list of players to win the MVP and Finals MVP in the same season. The only other players to accomplish that dual feat are Michael Jordan (four times), LeBron James (twice), Larry Bird (twice), Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Willis Reed.
The most memorable Finals performance by Gilgeous-Alexander occurred during the Thunder’s series-tying road comeback win in Game 4. He scored 15 of his 35 points in the final five minutes, the most by any player in the last five minutes of a Finals game in at least 50 years.
Gilgeous-Alexander capped the series with 29 points and 12 assists in Oklahoma City’s 103-91 Game 7 win.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points per game during the regular season and 30.3 in the Finals, also became the first player to win a scoring title and NBA championship in the same season since O’Neal in 2000. The only other players to have done that are Jordan (six times), Abdul-Jabbar, George Mikan (twice) and Joe Fulks.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s regular-season scoring average is the highest by a player who won the title that campaign, topping Jordan in 1992-93 by one-tenth of a point, according to ESPN Research.
