Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second time in his career on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Canadian won the media vote ahead of Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA announced.
Gilgeous-Alexander had already won the award last season and led the Thunder to 64 wins in the first year after their championship.
Before Gilgeous-Alexander, other players to win the award in consecutive seasons this century included Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James twice, Steve Nash and Tim Duncan.
His win also extends the streak to eight consecutive seasons in which the league's MVP was born outside the United States.
Serbia's Jokić was named MVP in 2021, 2022 and 2024, while Greece's Antetokounmpo earned the award in 2019 and 2020. In 2023, Joel Embiid, born in Cameroon, was named MVP.
Each year, a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from across the US and Canada votes for the MVP, based on regular-season performance.
Since 1956, the award has been one of the NBA's most prestigious individual honours.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama are set to meet again when Oklahoma City face San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals, which begin on Monday.
The Thunder are favourites, but Wembanyama and the Spurs are seen as one of the biggest obstacles to OKC's title defence.
