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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s MVP Wednesday night, and someone who’s been there through it all could not have been happier.
Shortly after Gilgeous-Alexander won the award, the first of his career, AT&T released a video highlighted by a voicemail left for the MVP by his mother, Charmaine.
“Finally! You got it!” she began.
“You deserve it. Like I said, be you, stay focused and everything else will work out. You’re definitely on your way to being one of the best to ever play the game. And now? Another thing checked off your list. This is why your whole life has been consistent. Be careful and continue to dominate and be the best leader on and off the court. The world finally gets to see you the way I’ve always seen you.
“You know how much I love you. I’m so, so, so proud of you. Well-deserved. Bye, love you.”
The Canadian star and league’s leading scorer posted career highs with 32.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the West with an NBA-best 68-14 record.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the MVP runner-up last year to Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder defeated Jokić’s Nuggets in seven games in the second round this season.
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Gilgeous-Alexander was the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 but was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He only spent one year there, though, and was part of a package that sent Paul George to Los Angeles.
Since the trade, Gilgeous-Alexander has been a diamond in the rough, and he will soon be named first-team All-NBA a third straight year. He’s also led the NBA in free throws made per game the last two seasons.
Oklahoma City kicked off the Western Conference finals with a 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, who fell in the same round to the Dallas Mavericks last year. OKC trailed by four points at the half but outscored Minnesota 70-40 in the second half.
This is the furthest OKC has gotten in the playoffs since 2016, when the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead to the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. The Warriors then did the same to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Oklahoma City, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, is still looking for its first NBA title since moving (Seattle won the NBA title in 1979). The Thunder last made the NBA Finals in 2012, when they lost to James and the Miami Heat.
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