Around this time last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Kentucky Wildcat to ever win the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Shortly thereafter, he went on to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a national title as the team's undisputed superstar and go-to weapon on a nightly basis.
And now, one year later, as the Thunder are stacking up as back-to-back title favorites on the backend of another dominant campaign, SGA has once more made history on the highest level of basketball. The fan-favorite Cat has been named the MVP for the second season in a row.
Per Shams Charania on X, he's only the 14th player in league history to manage this feat, joining a rare cabinet of legends as someone with an unstoppable multi-year run. Diehard members of the BBN will remember, funnily enough, that SGA didn't necessarily start his run at Kentucky as a superstar.
In fact, he came off the bench in Lexington, initially. That's a Coach Cal rotation for you.
Humble Beginnings in Lexington
Although, to the man's credit, it didn't take him long to see the team-leading potential in SGA. After opening the season behind Quade Green, SGA quickly played his way into a first-five role, eventually starting 24 of 37 games and winning the SEC Tournament MVP.
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.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2026
Kentucky didn't win it all that year, but SGA's 14.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game were more than enough to get him to the next level. Those numbers were a peek at the well-rounded player that he'd soon become.
The star guard was then drafted 11th overall to the Charlotte Hornets, who instantly sent him to the Los Angeles Clippers. Then, one year later in 2019, the Clippers dealt him to the Thunder. The rest is, of course, history - history still actively in the making.
Don't ask those franchises how they've been since.
Big Blue on the Biggest Stage
In his second consecutive MVP season, SGA averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per contest, shooting a searing 55.3% from the field on the whole. He's the epitome of the Big Blue Nation on the biggest stage, and Cats fans have had a ball supporting him in his rise out west.
As SGA and the Thunder prepare to face down Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, the BBN is happy to have an excuse to reminiscence on a Wildcat that fought for his role, and kept it, at Rupp Arena.
Say what you will about the previous coaching regime (truly, say whatever you'd like), but gems like SGA will always stand out as that system working exactly as it was supposed to. It's a good look for Kentucky on the national stage, and fans always happy to see one of our own excel.
Go get 'em, #22!
Add us as a preferred source on Google