Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke down in tears as he delivered a heartfelt tribute to his wife Hailey Summers after winning MVP
's rise to the top of the NBA mountain has been nothing short of extraordinary. On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, the
star was officially crowned the NBA's Most Valuable Player. It was a long-awaited and richly deserved honor that placed him among the game's elite and etched his name into basketball history.
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As he received the award, Alexander gave a heartfelt shout-out to his wife,
.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cried as he showered heartfelt tribute to his wife Hailey Summers following his first MVP win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was seen crying during his MVP speech. With tears in his eyes, he paid tribute to his wife Hailey Summers during the press conference. 'The one and only Hailey Summers. Sorry I'm so dramatic,' Alexander said as he was in tears of joy.
He addressed his wife, who was sitting in the audience with their son, Ares Alexander. 'Thank you for everything you are, for me, for our son, Ares, You were the first person to show me what love really meant, what sacrifice really meant and I can't wait to spend the rest of this journey called life with you, thank you for everything,' he said.
'I won't be the man I am, I won't be the player I am, I won't be the father I am without you. Thank you for that,' he added.
"I don't think there's enough emphasis on how much off the court influences on the court," Gilgeous-Alexander said at an emotional press conference in Oklahoma City. 'And once I became better off the court, my career started to skyrocket. It's no coincidence.'
Shai had one of the most complete seasons in league history.
The 26-year-old led the NBA in scoring with 32.7 points per game while shooting an efficient 51.9% from the field. His all-around numbers — 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 block per game— are also stunning.
This season, Shai received 71 of 100 first-place MVP votes, totaling 913 points in the official balloting by a global panel of media members. Last year's MVP Nikola Jokic finished second (787 points), with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell rounding out the top five.
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He led the Thunder to the best regular-season record in the NBA and helped them achieve the highest margin of victory in league history. Oklahoma City surged to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and battled past Jokic's Denver Nuggets in a gripping seven-game series to reach the conference finals.
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This historic run made him the first Thunder player to win MVP since Russell Westbrook in 2017. Kevin Durant previously won the award in 2014. Now, Gilgeous-Alexander proudly joins that elite lineage.
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