Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Sportsperson of the Year. Gilgeous-Alexander will grace the cover of the Sportsperson of the Year print issue, available on newsstands January 8.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star will receive the honor in person, along with the additional 2025 award winners, at the Sportsperson of the Year Awards Ceremony next Tuesday, January 6th, at Wynn Las Vegas.
Awarded since 1954, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year is one of the most prestigious honors in all of sports. It’s given “to the athlete or team who best symbolizes in character and performance the ideals of sportsmanship.” Previous winners include Serena Williams, Derek Jeter, and LeBron James, among others.
During the interview, Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about his phenomenal 2025 campaign.
“I think more than anything I was excited by the fact that I had achieved those things and still had so much room to grow,” he explained.
He also shared the obstacles he overcame to be one of the NBA’s best players.
“The way I saw it was when I was in ninth grade, nobody saw me and was like, ‘He’s going to be the 11th pick in the NBA draft,’ ” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “And I did it. So why can’t I just implement the same thing on a different scale, on a different level, using the same process?”
In 2025, Gilgeous-Alexander reached the pinnacle of basketball excellence, cementing his status as a global superstar. He captured his first NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a franchise-record 68-14 record. He also won the league scoring title with a career-high 32.7 points per game. His historic campaign didn’t end with the regular season; he powered the Thunder to their first NBA Championship since relocating to Oklahoma City. He took home the Finals MVP honors.