Tag: shai gilgeous-alexander

Nikola Jokic wins 2023-24 NBA MVP award

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is the recipient of the Michael Jordan Trophy as the 2023-24 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. Jokić has been named the Kia NBA MVP for the third time, having previously earned the honor in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

The nine-year NBA veteran from Serbia is the ninth player to win three or more MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four), LeBron James (four), Larry Bird (three), Magic Johnson (three) and Moses Malone (three).

In the 2023-24 regular season, Jokić ranked 10th in the NBA in points, fourth in rebounds and third in assists per game. He became the second player in NBA history to have at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson (1961-62).

Jokić finished second in the NBA in both double-doubles (68) and triple-doubles (25). He shot 58.3% from the field, the 10th-highest mark in the league.

Behind Jokić, the Nuggets (57-25) matched the franchise high for victories in a season and tied for the best record in the Western Conference.

Official 2022-23 All-NBA Teams

Via ESPN.com:

Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid was named to the All-NBA first team for the first time in his career as the league unveiled all three of its All-NBA squads Wednesday night, while LeBron James extended his all-time record to 19 selections.

Embiid was joined on the first team by Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry headlined the second team with his ninth selection. He was joined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.

James, who has now made an All-NBA team for 19 straight seasons, missing out only in his rookie year, led the third-team selections, along with a pair of Sacramento Kings — center Domantas Sabonis and guard De’Aaron Fox. They were joined by Portland Trail Bla

OKC Thunder sign Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a multi-year contract extension.

“We are excited to have Shai representing our organization for many years to come and couldn’t be happier for him and his family,” said Presti. “He is a tremendous basketball player, but is also a leader that infuses optimism, confidence and collaboration into all of his interactions professionally and personally. We are looking forward to watching his individual growth and the collective development of our team as we continue on our path toward sustainable success in Oklahoma City.”

According to the Oklahoman, it’s a “five-year deal worth $172 million in base salary — an average of $34.4 million per season.”

In three NBA seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has appeared in 187 games (178 starts) and registered averages of 16.3 points 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.9 minutes.

During the 2020-21 season, Gilgeous-Alexander became the second player in NBA history (Larry Bird) to average at least 23.7 points and 5.9 assists on 50.8 percent shooting and 41.8 percent 3-point shooting. He is one of four third-year players in the last 20 years to average 22+ points on 50+ percent shooting (A. Stoudemire, C. Bosh and A. Davis). He finished the 2020-21 season with 25 20-point performances and 10 30-point efforts during his 35 appearances.

Dating back to 2019, Gilgeous-Alexander increased his scoring averages from 10.8 ppg as a rookie to 19.0 ppg during his sophomore season before leading the Thunder in scoring with 23.7 ppg this past year. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 12.9 point per game scoring increase during the first three years of his career is the second largest in the NBA (CJ McCollum) during the past decade.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Gilgeous-Alexander was selected No. 11 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft after one season at the University of Kentucky. He was later named to the NBA’s Rising Stars teams in both 2019 and 2020.

Oklahoma City originally acquired Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers on July 10, 2019.

Thunder exercise contract options on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley and Ty Jerome

The Oklahoma City Thunder have exercised their fourth-year contract option on guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and its third-year contract options on forward Darius Bazley and guard Ty Jerome.

Gilgeous-Alexander has appeared in 153 career NBA games (144 starts), averaging 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.14 steals in 30.3 minutes per game, shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, 35.1 percent from three-point range and 80.2 percent from the charity stripe. During the 2019-20 campaign, he appeared in 70 games (all starts) and averaged a team-leading 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.13 steals in 34.7 minutes, shooting 47.1 percent from the field. The Toronto native has represented his team during All-Star weekend in each of his two NBA seasons, playing for Team World in both the 2019 and 2020 Rising Stars Challenges.

Bazley appeared in 61 games (nine starts) as a rookie last season and averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds (11th among rookies) in 18.5 minutes per contest, shooting 39.4 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from long range. During the 2020 playoffs, he averaged 6.6 points on 50.0 percent three-point shooting (11-22) to go along with 6.7 rebounds per game.

Jerome appeared in 31 games during the 2019-20 season with Phoenix, averaging 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10.6 minutes per contest. The 2019 NCAA Champion was acquired by the Thunder on Nov. 16.

Russell Westbrook a passionate observer for Rockets in Thunder series

The Disney NBA bubble is a close-knit experience. The closest thing to fans in the stands are players on the sidelines. It’s an obvious time for guys on the bench, especially inactive players, to show even more enthusiasm and support for teammates than usual. Here’s the Houston Chronicle with an observation on Rockets guard Russell Westbrook:

Russell Westbrook is out with a strained quadriceps muscle, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking it easy on the sidelines.

In the first two games of the Rockets-Thunder series, Westbrook has been active in the Rockets’ bench area not only cheering on his teammates, but berating the referees, talking to coaches about strategy and giving his teammates pointers during timeouts…

There’s no timetable for Westbrook’s return and he hasn’t been cleared to work on the court during practice.

The Rockets won again today, this despite a below-average scoring output from James Harden. The Rockets did it as a team, with seven players scoring double-digit points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 31 points in the loss for OKC.

Clippers trade for draft rights to No. 11 pick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The L.A. Clippers have acquired the draft rights to University of Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, from the Charlotte Hornets, in exchange for the draft rights to Michigan State forward Miles Bridges and two future second round picks. The Clippers selected Bridges with the 12th overall pick in the draft.

“We have been tracking Shai all year and grew more and more impressed with him. He quickly became a priority for us,” said President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank. “What you will see right away is his character, competitiveness and toughness. We have guys like that here, and that’s who we want to attract.”

“I’m a play-making guard, pass-first point guard, who likes to get teammates involved,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “I’m really just willing to do whatever the team needs me to do to win and cannot wait to get started with the Clippers.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, 19, played one collegiate season at Kentucky, where he appeared in 37 games (24 starts), averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33.7 minutes. The 6’6”, 180-pound guard shot 48.5 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point range as a Wildcat. A native of Hamilton, Ontario (Canada), Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the Second-team All-SEC and the SEC All-Freshman Team, and was named the MVP of the SEC Tournament.