Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs historic contract with Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed to a supermax contract extension with the champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. This deal, lasting four years and worth $285 million, will extend until the 2030-31 season, setting a new annual salary record in league history.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 32.7 points in the regular season and 30.3 in the NBA Finals, joins 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
Additionally, Gilgeous-Alexander became the first player to win the scoring title and the NBA championship in the same season since O’Neal in the year 2000. The only ones who achieved this feat are Jordan (six times), Abdul-Jabbar, George Mikan (twice), and Joe Fulks.
The only players, apart from 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 a centerpiece in the trade that the Thunder received for Paul George with the LA Clippers in the summer of 2019, along with a historic amount of first-round picks, one of which became Oklahoma City’s co-star, Jalen Williams.
He served as the constant 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 in history for a player who won the title in that campaign, surpassing Jordan in 1992-93 by one-tenth of a point. His 3,172 points, including regular season and playoffs, were also the most since Jordan in 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 +918 plus-minus was the best in an NBA season since the Warriors’ Stephen Curry in 2016-17.
