NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the finalists announced Sunday for this year’s award along with first-time San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and three-time Denver MVP Nikola Jokic.
And for the eighth consecutive year, the MVP will be international.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who beat Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo in last year’s voting and was also named NBA Finals MVP as the Thunder beat Indiana for the trophy, is averaging more than 30 points per game this season.
He led Oklahoma City to the top of the Western Conference with the best record in the league at 64-18.
Frenchman Wembanyama, 22, has been the driving force behind San Antonio’s first run to the playoffs since 2019, averaging a career-high 25 points per game and a league-best 3.1 rebounds. He would become the youngest MVP in league history at age 22, a few months younger than Derrick Rose in 2010-11.
Jokic averaged a triple and became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds and assists in a single season. He averaged 27.9 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.
