Latest news with #FinalsMostValuablePlayer
Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agrees record US$285 million extension: reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates with fans with a champions parade throughout downtown Oklahoma on June 24. LOS ANGELES – Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed a four-year US$285 million (S$363 million) contract extension, the richest per-year contract in NBA history, US media reports said on July 1. Gilgeous-Alexander, who guided the Thunder to the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship in May after a campaign that saw him win regular season and Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, is now tied to the club through 2031. The 26-year-old Canadian point guard has two years remaining on his existing contract with Oklahoma City worth US$79.1 million. The four additional seasons of his contract extension will see him receive US$62.5 million, US$68.6 million, US$73.7 million and then US$78.7 million in 2030-2031. The deal gives Gilgeous-Alexander the highest annual salary in the NBA, eclipsing the average US$64.3 million salary of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and the US$62.8 million earned by the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum. Gilgeous-Alexander was the fulcrum of the Thunder's dazzling 68-win Western Conference season, before inspiring the team to a 4-3 NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers in June. The Thunder ace averaged a league-high 32.7 points during the regular season and 30.3 points in the NBA Finals on his way to completing his MVP double. He became only the fourth player in history to win both NBA regular season and Finals MVP awards as well as the league's scoring title, putting him into an exclusive club, alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Gilgeous-Alexander, who turns 27 later in July, has career averages of 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 462 games (453 starts) with the Los Angeles Clippers (2018-19) and Thunder. Meanwhile, his teammate, All-Star forward Jalen Williams, underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right wrist on July 1 and is scheduled to be reevaluated in 12 weeks. Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti said on June 30 that Williams played through a torn ligament the entire post-season. Williams, 24, averaged 23.6 points per game in the Finals. He averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the play-offs after being selected All-NBA Third Team in the regular season. News of Gilgeous-Alexander's contract extension came as the NBA's free agency window cranked into top gear after the opening of the window on June 30. The Milwaukee Bucks are waiving nine-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard and signing free agent centre Myles Turner, ESPN reported Tuesday. The decision did not sit well with Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to NBA reporter Chris Haynes. The Bucks are stretching the remaining US$113 million on Lillard's contract over the next five seasons, per the report, using the 'stretch and release' provision in the collective bargaining agreement. Lillard is currently recovering from surgery in May to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Antetokounmpo has been mentioned as a trade candidate this off-season. Among teams with reported interest in a deal should the Bucks part with the two-time MVP are the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks. Antetokounmpo has spent all 12 of his NBA seasons in Milwaukee. Turner spent his entire 10-year career with Indiana. He agreed to a four-year, US$107 million contract with Milwaukee, per ESPN. The deal reportedly includes a player option in the final season in 2028-29 and a 15 percent trade kicker, a bonus paid to Turner in the event he's traded. Turner, 29, helped the Pacers reach the NBA Finals this season, losing to the Thunder in seven games. He averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 72 starts in the regular season, and 13.8 points, 4.8 boards and 2.0 blocks in 23 starts in the post-season. Lillard turns 35 on July 15 and faces a long rehab from the Achilles injury to return to top basketball form. A timeline hasn't been formally set, but he will likely miss a large chunk of the 2025-26 season and possibly all of it. AFP, REUTERS
Kuwait Times
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Thunder beat Pacers to clinch first NBA crown
OKLAHOMA CITY: The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title on Sunday, pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in game seven of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out a career playoff high 12 assists and the Thunder's swarming defense finally proved too much for a Pacers team that lost talisman Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest. The underdog Pacers hung tough and held a 48-47 lead at halftime, but the Thunder out-scored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth. 'It doesn't feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief,' Gilgeous-Alexander said, his voice breaking 'It's crazy to know that we're all here. 'But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this.' Gilgeous-Alexander put himself among some of the game's greats as he earned Finals Most Valuable Player honors to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship. The 26-year-old Canadian star becomes the first player since LeBron James in 2012-2013 to win both the NBA regular season MVP and Finals MVP in the same campaign. Jalen Williams scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and Chet Holmgren added 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and five of the Thunder's eight blocked shots. A crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center were given some tense moments as the Pacers chipped away at the deficit late, but 23 Indiana turnovers leading to 32 Thunder points were ultimately too much for the Pacers to overcome. The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, captured their first title since the club's controversial move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. After the Thunder failed in their first chance to close out the series in game six, Gilgeous-Alexander there was a measure of relief along with the jubilation. 'Feels amazing,' he said. 'So much weight off my shoulders, so much stress relieved. 'Wouldn't want to do it with any other group in the world,' he added. 'Feels so good to be a champion.' The Pacers, three-time American Basketball Association champions in the 1970s—remain in search of a first title since joining the NBA in the NBA-ABA merger. Haliburton injured Haliburton, already nursing a right calf strain when the Pacers won game six to force the first Finals game seven since 2016, had scored nine points—all on three-pointers—when he went down as he tried to drive past Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton's right leg gave out and he sprawled forward, slapping the court in pain and disappointment. Teammates gathered around him before he was helped off the court and to the locker room, supported and hopping on one leg with a towel over his head. 'What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, adding that Haliburton was in the locker room at halftime 'and he was very much a part of a group that believed that they could do this.' In his absence, the Pacers dug in. Down by three after the first quarter, they grabbed a 48-47 lead on Andrew Nembhard's step-back three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left before halftime. In a first half that featured 10 lead changes, the three-point shot was an early difference-maker for the Pacers, who connected on eight of 16 from beyond the arc in the first half, but had just three after the break. The Thunder struggled early from long range, but Gilgeous-Alexander made his first three-pointer of the night with 8:16 left in the third, Holmgren followed with a trey and Jalen Williams added another—the quick 9-0 run giving Oklahoma City a 65-56 lead that set the stage for the rest of the game. 'We had 24 minutes to go get it—we had 24 minutes to finish our season,' Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Thunder's mindset coming out for the third. Carlisle said the Pacers just weren't good enough in the third quarter. 'That quarter was the killer,' he said, but he praised his team's effort in the fourth. 'There was no surrender,' Carlisle said. 'It was all defiant fight until the end.' Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell added 16 points apiece and Nembhard scored 15. But the famously resilient Pacers, who rallied from a 10-15 season start and authored a string of stirring comeback wins, finally came up short. — AFP
Daily Tribune
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Thunder storm to NBA title
AFP | Oklahoma City The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title on Sunday, pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the injury-hit Indiana Pacers 103-91 in game seven of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists and the Thunder's swarming defense finally proved to much for a Pacers team that lost talisman Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest. The underdog Pacers hung tough and held a 48-47 lead at halftime, but the Thunder outscored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth. 'It doesn't feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief,' Gilgeous-Alexander said, his voice breaking 'It's crazy to know that we're all here. 'But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this.' Gilgeous-Alexander put himself among some of the game's greats as he earned Finals Most Valuable Player honours to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship. Jalen Williams scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and Chet Holmgren added 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and five of the Thunder's eight blocked shots. A crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center were given some tense moments as the Pacers chipped away at the deficit, but 23 Indiana turnovers leading to 32 Thunder points were ultimately too much for the Pacers to overcome. The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, captured their first title since the club's controversial move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, three-time American Basketball Association champions in the 1970s -- remain in search of a first title since joining the NBA in the NBAABA merger. Haliburton injured Haliburton, already nursing a right calf strain when the Pacers won game six to force the first Finals game seven since 2016, had scored nine points -- all on three-pointers -- when he went down as he tried to drive past Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton's right leg gave out and he sprawled forward, slapping the court in pain and disappointment. Teammates gathered around him before he was helped off the court and to the locker room, supported and hopping on one leg with a towel over his head. In his absence, the Pacers dug in. Down by three after the first quarter, they took a 43-42 lead on a three-pointer by Bennedict Mathurin with 2:02 left in the second quarter. Oklahoma City would take the lead again before Andrew Nembhard drilled a step-back three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to put the Pacers up 48-47 at halftime. The first half featured 10 lead changes, both teams coming out with determination on the defensive end with everything at stake. The three-point shot was an early difference-maker for the Pacers, who connected on eight of 16 from beyond the arc in the first half, but had just three after the break. The Thunder struggled early from long range, but Gilgeous-Alexander made his first three-pointer of the night with 8:16 left in the third, Holmgren followed with a trey and Jalen Williams added another -- the quick 9-0 run giving Oklahoma City a 65-56 lead that set the stage for the rest of the game. 'We had 24 minutes to go get it -- we had 24 minutes to finish our season,' Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Thunder's mindset coming out for the third. 'It was either gonna be bad or it was going to be pretty. We did everything we could.' Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell aded 16 points apiece and Andrew Nembhard scored 15. But the famously resilient Pacers, who rallied from a 10-15 season start and authored a string of stirring comeback wins, finally came up short.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
4 bonkers records Thunder set in championship season
The post 4 bonkers records Thunder set in championship season appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Oklahoma City Thunder etched their names into the NBA record books. They capped off their 68-14 campaign with a 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers, snatching Game 7 inside the Paycom Center. Advertisement OKC's 2024-25 team now rearranges this league list. The Thunder joins the 1968 Philadelphia 76ers as 68-win teams who won the title. Only the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers plus the 1996 and 1997 Chicago Bulls teams won more regular season games than OKC in their title winning campaigns. But win/loss mark isn't the only feat the Thunder hit. Per Sirius XM NBA radio personality Rob Perez, the Thunder shattered four different records. OKC hit a +259 home point differential for the first record. They delivered a +131 best turnover differential. The Thunder posted a 19-2 mark following a loss — a new league record. Finally, they delivered a best point differential of +1247 — the highest mark in a single season. Who propelled Thunder in Game 7 win over Pacers Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images OKC built itself with a new big three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. They also turned to G-League stars, undrafted players and second round talent in modeling their team. Advertisement The trio went off on the scoring end. SGA delivered 29 points and earned Finals Most Valuable Player honors. Holmgren bounced back from a low scoring night in Game 6 to drop 18 points. He even hit NBA Finals history in blocks with five. Williams delivered 20 points — but exploded with a nine-point third quarter that blew the game open. They weren't the only ones who reached double figures in scoring. Reserve pieces Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace scored 10 points apiece off the bench. Caruso was among the past G-League talent in OKC — who even played when Daigneault coached at that level. Oklahoma City hit one more finals mark not seen since 1988. They joined the Los Angeles Lakers in surpassing the 100-point mark in a Game 7 finals win. The 2024-25 season witnessed records fall in OKC. But the biggest accolade is handing the city and the state of Oklahoma its first-ever pro sports championship. Related: Isaiah Hartenstein's son fast asleep on Thunder's NBA Finals podium Related: Thunder guard Alex Caruso forced to give champagne-popping tutorial
Observer
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Thunder beat Pacers to clinch NBA Finals crown
OKLAHOMA CITY: The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title on Sunday, pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the injury-hit Indiana Pacers 103-91 in game seven of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists and the Thunder's swarming defense finally proved to much for a Pacers team that lost talisman Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest. The underdog Pacers hung tough and held a 48-47 lead at halftime, but the Thunder out-scored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth. "It doesn't feel real, so many hours, so many moments, so many emotions, so many nights of disbelief," Gilgeous-Alexander said, his voice breaking "It's crazy to know that we're all here. "But this group worked for it, this group put in the hours and we deserved this." Gilgeous-Alexander put himself among some of the game's greats as he earned Finals Most Valuable Player honors to go with his regular-season MVP and scoring title along with his first championship. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals. — Reuters Jalen Williams scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and Chet Holmgren added 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and five of the Thunder's eight blocked shots. A crowd of 18,203 at Paycom Center were given some tense moments as the Pacers chipped away at the deficit, but 23 Indiana turnovers leading to 32 Thunder points were ultimately too much for the Pacers to overcome. The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, captured their first title since the club's controversial move to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise having won it all in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Pacers, three-time American Basketball Association champions in the 1970s — remain in search of a first title since joining the NBA in the NBA-ABA merger. HALIBURTON INJURED Haliburton, already nursing a right calf strain when the Pacers won game six to force the first Finals game seven since 2016, had scored nine points — all on three-pointers — when he went down as he tried to drive past Gilgeous-Alexander. Haliburton's right leg gave out and he sprawled forward, slapping the court in pain and disappointment. Teammates gathered around him before he was helped off the court and to the locker room, supported and hopping on one leg with a towel over his head. In his absence, the Pacers dug in. Down by three after the first quarter, they took a 43-42 lead on a three-pointer by Bennedict Mathurin with 2:02 left in the second quarter. Oklahoma City would take the lead again before Andrew Nembhard drilled a step-back three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to put the Pacers up 48-47 at halftime. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals. — Reuters The first half featured 10 lead changes, both teams coming out with determination on the defensive end with everything at stake. The three-point shot was an early difference-maker for the Pacers, who connected on eight of 16 from beyond the arc in the first half, but had just three after the break. The Thunder struggled early from long range, but Gilgeous-Alexander made his first three-pointer of the night with 8:16 left in the third, Holmgren followed with a trey and Jalen Williams added another — the quick 9-0 run giving Oklahoma City a 65-56 lead that set the stage for the rest of the game. "We had 24 minutes to go get it — we had 24 minutes to finish our season," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Thunder's mindset coming out for the third. "It was either gonna be bad or it was going to be pretty. We did everything we could." Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T J McConnell added 16 points apiece and Andrew Nembhard scored 15. But the famously resilient Pacers, who rallied from a 10-15 season start and authored a string of stirring comeback wins, finally came up short. — AFP
