Which NBA star had the best year? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earns 2025 Golden Basketball
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Dec. 30, 2025 — Oklahoma City, OK – Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder has been named winner of the 2025 Golden Basketball, an annual honor created by analyst Kevin Pelton to recognize the NBA’s top performer over the entire calendar year.
The 26-year-old All-Star topped the ballot after a season in which he captured both the regular-season MVP and Finals MVP awards, guided Oklahoma City to its first championship since the franchise moved to Oklahoma, and opened the 2025-26 campaign with a 24-1 record. Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak of consecutive 20-point games also reached triple digits in December, second only to Wilt Chamberlain in league history.
The race for 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic dominated the discussion throughout the year. They split all 100 first-place votes in regular-season MVP balloting for 2024-25, staged a memorable seven-game Western Conference semifinal, and finished first and second in ESPN’s latest MVP straw poll. Jokic, who averaged a triple-double last season while posting record efficiency, settles for runner-up after winning the Golden Basketball in 2023 and 2024.
ESPN’s honor factors in both regular-season and playoff performance. Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in wins above replacement player (WARP) during last season’s stretch run, the 2025 playoffs, and again through the opening months of 2025-26. His signature moment came in Game 4 of the Finals, when he poured in 15 fourth-quarter points to erase a seven-point deficit and even the series against Indiana.
Other finalists
Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) – NBA Cup MVP and All-NBA Second Team selection who drove New York to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000.
Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers) – All-NBA Third Team guard who ranked second to Gilgeous-Alexander in playoff WARP while leading Indiana to its first Finals berth since 2000 before suffering an Achilles rupture in Game 7.
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – All-NBA First Team center and regular-season MVP co-favorite whose historic production continued despite Denver’s second-round exit.
Honorable mentions
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves) and Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) earned recognition but were hampered by injuries, early playoff exits or lack of major awards.
Impact of injuries
The 2025 race narrowed as several perennial contenders missed significant time. Luka Doncic played only 50 games and did not qualify for All-NBA honors, Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles in May, and Victor Wembanyama’s season ended early because of deep-vein thrombosis.
Past Golden Basketball winners
2014 LeBron James, 2015 Stephen Curry, 2016 LeBron James, 2017 LeBron James, 2018 LeBron James, 2019 Kawhi Leonard, 2020 LeBron James, 2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2022 Luka Doncic, 2023 Nikola Jokic, 2024 Nikola Jokic.
With Gilgeous-Alexander now added to that list, the Thunder star closes 2025 as the league’s most decorated player of the year.
Source: ESPN
