Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, recent NBA MVP and champion, wins more trophies and joins Michael Jordan in an exclusive club!

The Oklahoma City Thunder star left his mark on the 2025 ESPY Awards. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was doubly honored during this prestigious evening organized by ESPN at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, hosted by Shane Gillis.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins the Male Athlete of the Year ESPY. pic.twitter.com/TCS1yRHWnN

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) July 17, 2025

An exceptional season rewarded with two major trophies

The 26-year-old Canadian point guard won both NBA Player of the Year and Best Male Athlete awards across all sports. This double distinction crowns an absolutely remarkable 2024-2025 season, during which he won the league’s scoring title, MVP trophy, and NBA Finals MVP.

This exceptional performance puts Gilgeous-Alexander in a very exclusive club alongside legends like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal – the only players before him to achieve the triple crown of regular season MVP, Finals MVP, and NBA title in the same year.

In the NBA Player of the Year category, the Canadian prevailed against high-level competition including Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets), and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics). For Best Male Athlete, he finished ahead of Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles), and Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers).

Women’s basketball also honored with Caitlin Clark

On the women’s side, Caitlin Clark won the WNBA Player of the Year trophy, prevailing over Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and A’ja Wilson through public voting. This award recognizes the Fever player’s considerable impact on WNBA’s popularity.

The ESPY’s @WNBA Player of the Year 🤩

congrats, Caitlin Clark 👏 pic.twitter.com/x1ch6l9c2y

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 17, 2025

The ceremony also honored other basketball figures, with Diana Taurasi recognized for her career, Cooper Flagg and JuJu Watkins named college athletes of the year, and Oscar Robertson receiving the « Arthur Ashe » Courage Award for his historic fight for the creation of NBA free agency.