Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander atop NBA MVP race for majority of players

Mar 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walks down the court after a play against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

A lot of talk has been going around the league about who should be crowned NBA MVP. People argue that Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama deserve it way more. For players who go up against these legends, they all seem to only have one answer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Oklahoma City Thunder star impressed his peers quite a lot during the 2025-26 season and it showed on The Athletic's anonymous player poll.

Why Gilgeous-Alexander ranks high in NBA MVP talks among his peers

The Thunder superstar had a sizable lead over the other NBA MVP candidates when it came to The Athletic's anonymous player poll. Among 159 NBA players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the top pick to win the award as he notched 39% of the votes. Nikola Jokic only ranked second by garnering 21.4% of the votes from his peers. Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, and Luka Doncic all got tied up at third as they each notched 8.2% of the votes.

With the season all wrapped up, it is not hard to see that Gilgeous-Alexander will win another NBA MVP award. He will join a legendary 13-man list of players who won back-to-back like Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and more. An unnamed NBA player outlined what makes the Thunder superstar so special.

"Shai has been super consistent. They’ve had injuries, and he’s stayed consistent. We take it for granted, (but) he scores at least 20 every night. He’s had a lot of his guys injured, and they’re still No. 1 in the West," he said.

Another NBA player made Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA MVP case very simple, "He’s the best player on the best team. What more do you have to say?"

It will still be up to the voters if they will allow the Thunder superstar to win back-to-back NBA MVP honors. If he does not, there might be some uproar among players in the association.

More Thunder News:

• Thunder just entered historic territory: Only Jordan’s Bulls and Steph’s Warriors have done this

• Gilgeous-Alexander declines to make a case for potential back-to-back MVP award

• Thunder might have the most perfect path to repeating as NBA champions