THE reigning NBA MVP and champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a massive decision over his future with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 26-year-old basketball star has secured the fifth-biggest contract in sports history.
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander speaks to ESPN’s Lisa Salters after a playoff game in May[/caption]
Gilgeous-Alexander locked in a super max contract on Monday, a little over a week after winning the 2024-25 NBA Finals MVP.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to a four-year, $289 million deal and will keep him with the Thunder through the 2030-31 season.
The contract means that SGA will earn $71.25 million per year, which is the NBA’s highest annual salary in league history (AAV).
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum previously had the highest annual salary ($60.8 million a year).
Gilgeous-Alexander’s AAV is also the fifth biggest in the history of sports.
It’s more than any NFL quarterback and slightly bigger than the contract handed to Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani in 2024.
There are only four contracts that have a higher AAV than SGA’s.
The four are: boxer Canelo Alvarez‘s deal with DAZN from 2018 to 2023 ($73 million a year), Lionel Messi‘s deal with FC Barcelona from 2017 to 2021 ($168.5 million a year), and both of Cristiano Ronaldo‘s dealswith Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr from 2023 to 2025 ($214.5 million), and current deal from 2025 to 2027 ($355 million a year).
Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off achieving the best season in the history of the Thunder.
During the regular season, he posted a league-high 32.7 points.
SGA averaged 29.9 points and 6.5 assists in the playoffs.
He helped the Thunder win their first championship, defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the NBA Finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player in NBA history to be the Finals MVP and MVP in the same season.
He’s also the sixth player in league history to win a scoring title and a championship in the same campaign.
SGA achieved that feat for the first time since 2000 when Shaquille O’Neal did so.
Gilgeous-Alexander joined the Thunder in a trade that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Oklahoma City struck gold as they received the three-time All-Star guard and numerous first-round picks, one of which helped the team select star Jalen Williams.
To the dismay of the rest of the league, the Thunder won’t be going away anytime soon.
The roster is full of young talent and consists of the 24-year-old Williams, the 23-year-old Chet Holmgren, and the 26-year-old Lu Dort, among others.
