Magic Johnson had praise for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday after the NBA announced the Oklahoma City star as the 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, making him the 14th player in league history to win the award in consecutive seasons. Johnson congratulated Gilgeous-Alexander on back-to-back MVP awards and said the Thunder guard had earned the honor with a season in which he averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.40 steals while shooting 55.3% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range.
Johnson’s post also reached beyond the award itself. He said the rest of the Western Conference may not have a chance to win the Western Conference Finals for the next 5-7 years, a message aimed at the teams now trying to chase Oklahoma City and San Antonio. His comments came after Oklahoma City swept Los Angeles out of the second round with a 115-110 Game 4 win in which Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points.
That matchup has already shown why Johnson sounded so bullish. San Antonio opened the West Finals by beating Oklahoma City in double overtime in Game 1, then leaned on Victor Wembanyama’s 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks to steal the opener. De’Aaron Fox missed the game after being ruled out shortly before tipoff with a sprained right ankle, and rookie Dylan Harper played a key role in the Spurs’ win.
Johnson singled out Wembanyama as well, saying he had put on an incredible show and praising a late three-pointer as Steph Curry like. The remarks framed a night that underlined how quickly the balance in the West could tilt if Oklahoma City keeps building around Gilgeous-Alexander and San Antonio keeps getting production like Wembanyama’s in big moments.
For now, the immediate takeaway is simple: the MVP belongs to Gilgeous-Alexander, and the two teams Johnson highlighted have already given the Western Conference a playoff problem no one else has solved yet.
