And now, as Gilgeous-Alexander and his staff sit 4 wins away from a championship, he has a possibility to affix an elite group and achieve one thing that hasn’t been achieved in over a decade.
Gilgeous-Alexander might full the trendy NBA trifecta if he captures the NBA Finals MVP as properly. And if he ends the season lifting the Invoice Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy, he’ll develop into the primary participant to win the NBA MVP and Finals MVP in the identical season since LeBron James did it in back-to-back seasons, the final being for the 2012-13 marketing campaign.
Whereas a number of superstars have come shut since, and a few even personal each trophies, nobody else has been capable of win each trophies in the identical season in 12 years.
When Stephen Curry gained his first MVP in 2015, he additionally led the Warriors to what would develop into his first of his 4 championships. Nevertheless, it was his teammate Andre Iguodala who was named the Finals MVP. He was MVP once more a yr later, however the Warriors would squander a 3-1 sequence lead and lose the Finals as James and the Cavaliers completed off a historic comeback.
Kevin Durant was the Finals MVP in each 2017 and 2018 when Golden State gained back-to-back championships. And when Curry lastly gained that elusive Finals MVP in 2022, he did it to cap off a season by which Nikola Jokic was MVP.
Talking of Jokic, he is a three-time NBA MVP, however in ironic trend, completed because the runner-up to Joel Embiid within the yr he would go on and lead the Nuggets to their first championship because the Finals MVP.
For the reason that merger, only 10 players have claimed the NBA MVP and Finals MVP in the identical season. These legends are Michael Jordan, who did it 4 occasions, James’ with the 2 most up-to-date such seasons, Larry Chicken with a pair of his personal after which singular occurrences by Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Willis Reed, the primary to do it in 1969-70.
Primarily based on the Thunder’s dominance and Gilgeous-Alexander stepping up his recreation in each spherical, historical past may very well be made this yr.
