Game 7 Sunday between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons was supposed to begin with the highly anticipated live announcement of the season’s MVP award the centerpiece of NBA on Prime’s pregame show.
Instead, those television plans were abruptly disrupted by ESPN insider Shams Charania who revealed early in the morning that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had won the award for the second straight season.
The timing clearly didn’t sit well with the Prime studio crew, led by host Taylor Rooks alongside analysts Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin who reacted with several sharp jokes about the “spoiler.”
I don’t remember Shams ruining surprises back in those days
Taylor Rooks
Rooks jokingly referenced Dirk Nowitzki’s 2007 MVP season with the Dallas Mavericks. The German legend quickly fired back:
Back then he was still a kid
Dirk Nowitzki
Nash, SGA, and retirement dreams
Once the media controversy settled down, attention shifted back to celebrating the winner.
Gilgeous-Alexander officially entered the exclusive group of players to win back-to-back MVP awards – an accomplishment both Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash know very well from experience.
Nash, who won consecutive MVPs in 2005 and 2006, shared a funny exchange with the Thunder star. When Dirk asked SGA how he imagined himself 10 or 15 years from now, Shai answered with a smile:
I’ll probably think something like: damn, I was really good! That’s exactly how it feels
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Despite being at the center of the basketball world right now, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about the future with surprising humility and simplicity:
I hope I’m taking my kids to soccer or basketball practice, playing tennis in my free time, and just enjoying retirement
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
A remarkably grounded answer from a player currently sitting at the top of the NBA world after another dominant season statistically and competitively.
The ultimate test against Wembanyama
The celebrations, however, won’t last long. The NBA postseason schedule leaves no room to breathe, and the reigning MVP will immediately take the floor for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing to host the San Antonio Spurs in what promises to be an explosive series – one that will pit Gilgeous-Alexander directly against fellow MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama.
It may become the ultimate on-court test for validating an award that sparked debate even before it was officially announced on television.
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