SGA's NBA MVP win hit with major controversy - Why fans think voting is ‘ruined’

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has reportedly won the NBA MVP this season, becoming the 14th player to win this award in consecutive years

Published on: May 17, 2026, 21:38:18 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might have done what many players dream of. The Oklahoma City Thunder star joined the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic as one of the 14 players to win back to back MVP titles. However, his reported win on Sunday has come with controversy.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts to an officials call in the first half of Game 2 (AP)

The NBA will officially reveal this season's MVP on Sunday, one day before Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder play host to a West finals home game against the San Antonio Spurs. The announcement is coming on Amazon Prime Video shortly after 7:30 PM EDT. The 27-year-old, who is on a four-year, $273.3 million super maximum contract, averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 68 games (all starts) this season.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 boards in 530 career games (521 starts) with the Los Angeles Clippers (2018-19) and Thunder. He led the team to its first NBA championship last year.

Why SGA's NBA MVP win was hit with a controversy

Well, the controversy is not exactly linked to Shai himself. It is more about Shams Charania and ESPN's reporting. NBA fans on Sunday called out Charania for ‘leaking’ the MVP result hours before the official announcement.

“Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVPs, multiple sources tell ESPN,” the NBA insider posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

Slamming him, a user tweeted: “You are literally the worst lol. Ruined this for the second year in a row. & almost gave me a heart attack by starting the tweet with “Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.”

“Why did you have to leak this?” another one added.

If Gilgeous-Alexander wins, he would beat Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic in the race.

List of 14 NBA stars to win back-to-back MVP awards

These players include Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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