It’s finally happened for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. You can hear the Nuggets fans screaming in agony all around the world. Shai’s confirmed to be this season’s MVP, after an unforgettable battle against Nikola Jokic. This could go either way for the fans, but you have to give credit where credit’s due. The Thunder train goes on, with one foot in the Finals already. But regardless of their success this season, no one is taking Shai’s MVP away from him.

SGA led the NBA in PPG, with 32.7. Oh, and he also averaged 6.4 assists, 5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1 block while shooting 51.9% from the field. Just to let this sink in- ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said that the only other person to average such stats was THE Michael Jordan – when he won the honors in the 1987/88 and 1990/91 seasons.

It just had to be Shams Charania breaking the news, right? After the ESPN journalist confirmed the aura king’s victory, it sent the fans into a frenzy. Of course, not everyone has the same takeaway from Shai winning it all. So on that note, let’s get right into the thick of it all.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP win has America split

The battle was basically to be decided when Nuggets and Thunder faced off in the Western semis. And after the Thunder won it over 7 games, fans had only one thing to say. One fan said, “deserved. whoever won that series was winning it,” while others said “Had this @ for 3 years now… Always knew it would come true… Best player in the NBA” and “CONGRATS SHAI!! 🔥🔥.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s win made it 7 straight international MVP winners. It’s been over a decade since an American last won the honors. Jokic’s numbers were off the charts. But Shai’s leadership, two-way plays, and the Thunder’s overall brilliance might have been what tipped the scales in the Canadians favor.

And now, to the rest of the world. It’s unbelievably hard to find comments that believe Shai to be the deserving victor. Most of the comments section was littered with opinions like “he shooting celebratory free throws,” “Literally by far the least deserving MVP in recent memory. Him winning it over peak Jokic is a joke,” and “Worst MVP in Nba history congrats.” Let’s break them down.

Statistically, this was the best ever individual season in NBA history. And prime Nikola Jokic on the hardwood is a sight to see. The effortless charisma, the non-chalant dominance. The Joker just oozes class. If he didn’t win after finishing the season 29.6/12.7/10.2 while shooting 57.6 from the field, then it’s never meant to be for the Serbian. He did win it 3 times in the last 4 seasons, and did battle Shai while trumping the Canadian PG last season too. But fans believe that a historic season like this one has “Most Valuable Player” written all over it.

You must be thinking- these are just fans. Who cares about the opinions of people who’ve never stepped on the court before? Well, there are players who side with Nikola Jokic too. And one of them is future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard.

Dwight Howard stumped as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trumps Nikola Jokic to MVP honors

Howard’s done it all in his illustrious 19-year career. Well, except the MVP. Still, he has a championship, 8 NBA All-Star appearances, and 5 straight All-NBA honors under his belt. So he knows exactly what he’s talking about. While there’s respect shown for Shai’s ridiculous season, there’s only one true MVP for him- and that’s Nikola Jokic.

“Shai 🔥🔥🔥 but Jokic is still the greatest mvp snub of all time good worker Joker,” wrote Howard on X. The pair have met 6 times in their careers, with Howard coming out on top 4 times. But statistically, SGA holds the edge in scoring, playmaking, and perimeter stats, while Howard dominates the rebounding and rim-protection categories in their meetings. They’re obviously different classes of players. But if Howard says this while already playing against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, then his take might actually hold an ounce of water.

Nikola Jokic had a season straight out of a movie. And if he did win the MVP, then no one would have any complaints. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning it this season has gotten the fans split in opinions, completely regarding his aura and class for the Thunder. Is this justified?