Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says his second MVP season was a failure

Earlier in the 2025-26 season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became just the 16th player in the NBA’s long history to win multiple MVP awards. The former Kentucky guard’s counting stats, particularly his scoring numbers, were absurd — historic, even. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to its second straight one-seed in the Western Conference and another season with 60+ wins.

And yet, Gilgeous-Alexander classifies it all as a failure. Why? He and his teammates didn’t accomplish the ultimate objective: to win the NBA Finals for the second year in a row. OKC bowed out of the Western Conference Finals in seven games to the up-and-coming (or already arrived) San Antonio Spurs and their young superstar Victor Wembanyama.

“I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said during the Thunder’s exit interviews with the media on Sunday. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail and don’t get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “It was a failure. I failed at my goal. I didn't achieve what I wanted to achieve. But through those experiences, I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail." pic.twitter.com/xoKTiavlei

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 31, 2026

SGA made it about 95 percent of the way to where he wanted to get to. But the Spurs found ways to limit him. During the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 33.2 minutes per outing. He shot a career-high 55.3 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from deep, and 87.9 percent from the free-throw line.

But against San Antonio? Despite moments of mid-range brilliance and an uptick in his playmaking, his scoring abilities were severely limited: 25.9 points per outing on shooting splits of 40.9/28.6/93.8. He was actually shooting under 40 percent from the field until he dropped 35 points on 12-21 shooting in a Game 7 defeat. The Spurs’ lengthy, athletic, defensive-minded guards had SGA’s number in isolation situations, and he hasn’t been shy about that fact since his season ended. Even if he did make it past those guards, Wembanyama was waiting at the rim.

Would it have helped if the Thunder’s top two secondary scorers, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, were healthy enough to play? Absolutely. Chet Holmgren could have done something to help out, too. But part of the beauty of the playoffs is the unpredictability. Key injuries happen every postseason. SGA just wasn’t good enough to overcome them this time around, even if that isn’t exactly a fair assessment of him as a player.

Gilgeous-Alexander still has plenty of basketball ahead of him, though. The 27-year-old will learn from his experience against the Spurs and find ways to come out better because of it. Even after an 83-game season (regular season and playoffs combined), he’ll hit the court again this summer for Team Canada. SGA will represent his home country for the World Cup Qualifiers in July.

Even the best players in the world know when they need to get better.