The reigning NBA MVP that also led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a championship title has just made financial history. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed to a four-year, $285 million super max extension that ties him to the Thunder through 2030-31, according to ESPN. The deal does not kick in until 2027-28, but SGA’s new $71.25 million annual salary is the richest for a player in NBA history.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a league-high 32.7 points per game in 2024-25, to go along with 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. He also led the NBA in field goals attempted per game (21.8) and free throws made per game (7.9). SGA became the first player to win the NBA’s scoring title and an NBA title in the same season since Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal did so in 2000, and also became the fourth player to win a scoring title, NBA MVP and Finals MVP in the same season, joining O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
SGA’s 32.7 points per game set a record for the most in a title-winning season all time, and he joined Jordan in being the only players to have a season where they averaged 32 points per game, six assists per game and shot 50% from the field. Now, he’s the highest-paid player in NBA history on average.
Highest-paid NBA players by average annual value
Back in 2019, SGA was traded to the Thunder from the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal where he wasn’t even the headliner. At the time, it was the “Paul George trade,” as the Clippers sent Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks among other pick swaps for George. While Gilgeous-Alexander went on to spearhead a championship run for his new team, it wasn’t an easy process. Oklahoma City suffered through two seasons in which it failed to clear 25 wins, but ultimately, Sam Presti constructed a legitimate contender that went 68-14 in the regular season, and then became the youngest team to win an NBA title since the 1977 Trail Blazers.
It’s fair to say Oklahoma City’s 26-year-old superstar put together one of the best seasons by a guard in NBA history, and now, he has been rewarded financially.