OKC Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren headline finalists for NBA awards

[ASFN Admin]

The NBA announced finalists for all seven of its individual end-of-season awards on Sunday, and multiple OKC Thunder players are in the running.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award alongside Denver's Nikola Jokic and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama. He's also a finalist for the Clutch Player of the Year award, joining Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and Denver's Jamal Murray.

Chet Holmgren is a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award as well. The other two candidates are Wembanyama and Detroit's Ausar Thompson.

Here's a look at the finalists for all seven awards:

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Finalists for 2025-26 NBA awards​

Most Valuable Player​

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder
• Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Defensive Player of the Year​

• Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder
• Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Rookie of the Year​

• VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
• Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
• Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets

Most Improved Player​

• Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks
• Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers
• Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Sixth Man of the Year​

• Tim Hardaway Jr., Denver Nuggets
• Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
• Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs

Clutch Player of the Year​

• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder
• Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

Coach of the Year​

• J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons
• Mitch Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
• Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics

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When will 2025-26 NBA awards be announced?​

Here's a complete list of confirmed announcement dates for the 2025-26 NBA awards. All times are Central.

• Monday, April 20: Defensive Player of the Year, 5 p.m. (Peacock and NBCSN)
• Tuesday, April 21: Clutch Player of the Year, 5 p.m. (Peacock and NBCSN)
• Wednesday, April 22: Sixth Man of the Year, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
• Thursday, April 23: Sportsmanship award, 11 a.m. (via X on @NBAPR)
• Friday, April 24: Most Improved Player, 5:30 p.m. (Prime)

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Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder stars SGA, Chet Holmgren headline finalists for NBA awards

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