SGA or Jokic; Who Deserved MVP?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walks to the free-throw line—it seems like a familiar spot for him. The crowd chants, “MVP! MVP! MVP!” as he sinks both free throws. Throughout the rest of the game, he propels the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 4-1 series win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, earning an advancement to the NBA Finals.

Throughout the 2025 season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) earned a reputation as a foul drawer and a flopper—someone who intends to get fouled and shoot free throws rather than try to score. This was seemingly a regularity, with instant replay showing him initiating contact and constantly falling down. This was especially evident in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. In one instance, SGA was found on the instant replay in the air parallel to the ground, despite the nearest defender being a foot away, and he still got the foul call. It even became so much of an annoyance that Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray returned a flop in jest just moments after.

Yet, contrary to this reputation, SGA has only averaged 8.8 free throws per game—less than the league leader in this category, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.6). This statistic is less than James Harden’s prime season in 2016: 10.9 free throws attempted. Yet, James Harden never received nearly as much criticism as SGA. Many regarded Harden’s era as one of the most dominant seasons in recent NBA history. 

Rather than the number of free throws causing fans’ ire, it is SGA’s theatrics after the foul call—and sometimes causing the foul call—that draw reactions.

Nevertheless, SGA was voted as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) this season, with voters mostly being sportswriters and broadcasters from the U.S. and Canada. His team, the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), was the best in the league, finishing 68-14 in the regular season. SGA ended the regular season with 32.7 points per game, five rebounds per game, and 6.4 assists per game. He earned similar statistics last season, with about two more points per game this year. Yet, last year he finished second in MVP voting with 640 votes, far behind MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, who earned 926 votes. 

This year, despite having a better season, Jokic finished second with 787 votes to SGA’s 913 votes. With a season reminiscent of Russel Westbrook’s 2016-2017 MVP campaign, in which Jokic averaged a historic 30-point triple-double, it feels as if he should have won MVP for the fourth time.

Jokic didn’t win MVP this year for two reasons. Firstly, OKC’s increased success gave SGA a significant boost. While OKC finished first last year, the second and third places in the West finished only one game behind. This year, however, OKC separated itself from the second and third seeds by 16 and 18 games, respectively. This shift in victories made them feel like a powerhouse. It seems as if OKC’s increase in dominance implied the same increase in SGA’s gameplay, when in reality, SGA played similarly. This is essentially the halo effect: a team’s success influences how viewers perceive individual players’ contributions. In this instance, OKC’s newfound dominance seemed to have cast most of their spotlight on SGA, making him seem just as improved as OKC themselves.

Not only that, but SGA’s reputation as a foul drawer could have proved beneficial, drawing attention to himself while being the focus of many critics’ attention. While under the spotlight of increased attention, SGA showed that he still played basketball at an elite level and overshadowed Jokic.

Secondly and most importantly, voter fatigue allowed SGA to win MVP. With Jokic winning MVP three times in the last four seasons and becoming a constant feature in the MVP voting race, his familiarity became a weakness: people grew tired of Jokic winning. This was quite the opposite of SGA, whose popularity became a booster. As a result, despite Jokic’s historic season, viewers preferred to see an up-and-coming star as MVP.

Essentially, in a legendary regular season, Jokic was overshadowed by SGA’s inflated player’s statistics and OKC’s team gameplay. Though SGA played well but still not on Jokic’s level, Jokic’s performance still couldn’t surmount the voter fatigue from his previous consecutive MVP awards. In the end, though, the MVP award is somewhat arbitrary and not the main objective for most NBA players. The main goal is the championship, which SGA and OKC have clearly set their sights on. Still, the MVP award should be given to the best player in the league; unfortunately, the voters couldn’t see that this year.