On Saturday, Gilgeous-Alexander was named Canadian Press Sportsman of the Year, easily winning the award for the second time in his career.
The Hamilton native earned the honor after being named NBA Most Valuable Player, NBA Finals MVP, league leading scorer and top-ranked player. Oklahoma City Thunder to their second championship in franchise history and first since 1979, when they were the Seattle SuperSonics.
“It's really not even up for debate whether he is one of the best players in the world. I mean, there's no discussion right now,” said Rowan Barrett, general manager of the Canadian men's basketball team. “You couldn’t like his game. You couldn't like his team.
“You can’t like anything, but objectively, how can you argue that he’s not one of the best players in the world.”
Gilgeous-Alexander received 89.3 percent of the vote, while Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was born in Montreal but plays internationally for the Dominican Republic, came in second. Tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and runner Evan Dunphy of Richmond, British Columbia, also received votes.
Gilgeous-Alexander was also CP's 2023 Male Athlete of the Year after leading Canada to its first FIBA World Cup medal and qualifying for the Summer Olympics for the first time in 24 years. He is one of 17 athletes to have won the award twice, including hockey legends Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito and Mario Lemieux, as well as tennis star Milos Raonic. The only basketball player to receive this award is Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash, who has done it three times.
The six-foot-six Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, five rebounds, 1.7 steals and one block per game last season. Oklahoma City had the best regular season record in the NBA's Western Conference and sent the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to the NBA Finals.
“He puts pressure on the defense every time he comes down the court. It has great gravity. His usage rate is very, very high,” Raptors forward Brandon Ingram said. “He has a game where you can’t necessarily touch him. He can get to mid-range. He gets to the rim and shoots better from three, so he can do a lot on the floor.”
“He's a leader. He's the leader of this team.”
Gilgeous-Alexander had a double-double in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, scoring 29 points and adding 12 assists as the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 103–91 for their first championship.
He and Nash (2005, 2006) are the only Canadians to win the NBA MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander is also one of four NBA players to be named MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal to accomplish the feat.
“Being the second Canadian to win NBA MVP is one thing, but winning the NBA title and Finals MVP (oh, and the scoring title!) puts him in the Hall of Fame,” CBC Sports' Signy Butler said in her ballot. “From humble beginnings to one of the best players in the world demonstrates the power of hard work and faith.”
Voters were also impressed by Gilgeous-Alexander's continued success as OKC won the title in June, but the Thunder continue to surge this season with a 26-5 record.
He is back to MVP-caliber numbers in the 2025-26 season, averaging 32.1 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
“The fact that he was the best player in the world not only at the start of the 2025 calendar year, but that he and the Thunder didn't slow down until the end of 2025,” said Jamie Nye of Rawlco Radio in Regina, explaining his reasons for voting for Gilgeous-Alexander.
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said the Gilgeous-Alexander fight is about more than just statistics or play on the court.
“He's an amazing person,” Rajakovic said. “We played OKC (last year) and it was impressive to see him on the court after warming up. There are probably about 2,000 people waiting there, and he spends 30 to 45 minutes giving all the autographs that are asked of him.”
“You don’t see that every day, not just what he does on the court, what he does off the court, the type of person he is.”
Barrett, who has known Gilgeous-Alexander most of his life, said the 27-year-old is just that kind of person.
“These things come from a real place,” Barrett said. “I think Shai really understands that. He really understands that he's in a very, very special place and he's loved by a lot of people, adored by a lot of people, and he takes that responsibility very seriously.”
Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP-caliber year and the way he carries himself off the court has also earned him the respect of his fellow NBA players.
“Every year he gets better and better,” Boston Celtics guard Derrick White said. “It’s a testament to who he is as a person and the work he puts in.
“Obviously OKC had a really good team and they won the championship. MVP, Finals MVP, he did it all. Congratulations to him.”
