Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Signs Super Max Extension with Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), has agreed to extend his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder for four years and $285 million, according to sources.
This agreement will surpass the highest annual salary in the history of the league.
This is the second contract extension that Gilgeous-Alexander signs with the Thunder, solidifying the trust and partnership between both parties since he joined the team in 2019.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points, the league’s highest, during the regular season and 30.3 in the NBA Finals, joined a select group of players who have won the MVP and Finals MVP in the same season.
- Michael Jordan (four times)
- LeBron James (two times)
- Larry Bird (two times)
- Tim Duncan
- Shaquille O’Neal
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Magic Johnson
- Moses Malone
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Willis Reed
Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, also became the first player to win the scoring title and the NBA championship in the same season since O’Neal in 2000. The only others who have achieved this are Jordan (six times), Abdul-Jabbar, George Mikan (twice), and Joe Fulks.
The only players besides Gilgeous-Alexander who have achieved the triple crown of scoring champion, MVP, and NBA champion in the same season are Jordan (four times), O’Neal, and Abdul-Jabbar.
Gilgeous-Alexander was acquired after his rookie season as the centerpiece of the package the Thunder received in the Paul George trade with the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer of 2019, along with a historic number of first-round picks, one of which became Oklahoma City co-star Jalen Williams.
He served as the stable face of the Oklahoma City franchise as the Thunder dismantled the roster around him and went through a rapid rebuild. Gilgeous-Alexander’s commitment and faith in the franchise never wavered as the Thunder endured seasons of 22 and 24 wins before making double-digit jumps in each of the last three years, culminating in this 68-win campaign and the march towards the title.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring average in the regular season in this championship season was the highest by a player who won the title that campaign, surpassing Jordan in 1992-93 by a tenth of a point, according to ESPN Research. His 3,172 points, including regular season and playoffs, were also the most since Jordan that same season.
Scored 20 or more points in 72 consecutive games this season, the fourth-longest streak within a season in NBA history, and his plus-minus of +918 was the best in an NBA season since Stephen Curry of the Warriors in 2016-17.
