Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has already done enough to put himself in rare air. Now, Oklahoma City’s own unfinished business might give him the clearest runway yet to chase a third straight MVP.
The Thunder were pushed out in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals last season, with the young San Antonio Spurs ending Oklahoma City’s title defense and shutting the door on the chance to become the NBA’s first repeat champion this decade. That setback stung in the moment, but it may also have helped set the stage for what comes next for Gilgeous-Alexander.
Oklahoma City made moves in the offseason and should be back in the mix for a title next season. Even so, the injuries and disappointment from last year could wind up mattering just as much for Gilgeous-Alexander’s individual case as they do for the team’s championship hopes.
A third consecutive MVP would be something the league has only seen three times. Larry Bird was the last to do it, running the table from 1984-86.
Before him, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell each pulled it off in the 1960s. More recently, the NBA has had multiple players string together back-to-back wins, but the third straight trophy has kept slipping away for one reason or another.
The biggest obstacle for Gilgeous-Alexander next season may also be the player most likely to stand in his way in the playoffs: Victor Wembanyama. He enters the year as the favorite, and that lines up with where the Spurs and Thunder sit as title contenders. It also makes the MVP race feel like a direct collision between two teams expected to spend the season at the top.
Wembanyama comes in with serious momentum after a dominant regular season, his first Defensive Player of the Year award, and the playoff run that ended with San Antonio knocking off Oklahoma City and sending the Spurs to their first NBA Finals. That kind of profile explains why oddsmakers are already leaning his way.
But that same postseason loss could still end up helping Gilgeous-Alexander. Because the Spurs already beat the Thunder in the playoffs and controlled the regular-season series a year ago, they should again be expected to finish near the top and show once more how they stack up against Oklahoma City. That gives Gilgeous-Alexander a chance to answer with the kind of performances that can sway voters in a close race, the way he did in his 2025 MVP battle with Nikola Jokic.
If he opens the season with a big night and leads the Thunder to a win in San Antonio, he could change the shape of the race immediately. And if Oklahoma City stays No. 1 in the standings while Gilgeous-Alexander keeps delivering against the Spurs later in the year, he may have exactly what he needs to claim a third MVP.
In Other News...
Kawhi Finally Returns To OKC In A Full Circle Thunder Moment
Kawhi Leonards name still sits in the middle of one of the most consequential detours in recent Thunder history, because his push for a co-star helped set in motion the Clippers move for Paul George. Oklahoma City cashed in on that chain reaction in a way that reshaped the franchise, turning those dealings into the foundation for a roster built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Now Leonard is set to come through Oklahoma City again with the Toronto Raptors, a reminder of how much has changed since the Clippers era that once revolved around him. The Clippers later cap-circumvention penalty only deepened the strange full-circle feel around the whole saga, but the next chapter for Thunder fans is the visit itself, and what kind of reception follows when Leonard steps back into that building. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Spurs Suddenly Feels Like The NBAs Biggest New Grudge Match
The Thunder and Spurs have gone from intriguing Western Conference powers to the kind of matchup the league can market around, with their seven-game Western Conference Finals in 2026 still fresh enough to give every meeting some carryover. Oklahoma City and San Antonio enter this season as co-favorites for the title, and the appeal is obvious: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on one side, Victor Wembanyama on the other, two franchise players who give the rivalry both star power and a real sense of direction.
There is also the schedule itself, which will keep the conversation alive even before the stakes rise again in the spring. The teams will see each other only a handful of times in the regular season, and the first one already has the feel of an event, a reminder that these meetings are starting to matter well beyond one playoff series. If the last postseason was the introduction, this season is shaping up to be the stretch where the NBA learns whether this is a one-off showdown or the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Get One Massive Home Test Against LeBron And New-Look Sixers
Philadelphia is entering the new season with a dramatically different look after landing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in an offseason swing that sent Paul George and future draft picks to Boston. The result is a roster that suddenly feels built for the spotlight, with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe expected to headline a starting group that will draw plenty of attention every time it takes the floor.
For Oklahoma City, the appeal of this matchup goes beyond the names involved. The Thunder will get one of the marquee dates on the calendar when the Sixers come through in February, part of a schedule that already has Philadelphia lined up for plenty of national TV exposure. It is the kind of game that can reveal a lot about how the Thunder stack up against a retooled contender, even before the broader race in the league starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]