The Thunder defeated the Timberwolves in five games on Wednesday to win the Western Conference Finals. Oklahoma City heads back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, carried by its star guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Grizzlies in four games and Nuggets in seven. Oklahoma City held strong at home in the first two games of the WCF, blowing out Minnesota before dropping Game 3. They bounced back behind a career-best 40-point performance by Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 4 before finishing the series on its home court in Game 5. SGA sealed Minnesota’s fate with a 34-point showing in the series finale.
With the Western Conference Finals in the books, here’s more on SGA’s MVP performance.
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Who won the Western Conference Finals MVP?
Gilgeous-Alexander was, unsurprisingly, named the Western Conference Finals MVP.
SGA had a great regular season, averaging 32.7 points per game, leading the NBA. The guard also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists on his way to being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the season. He sustained that momentum into the playoffs as OKC was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference after going 68-14 in the regular season.
Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player on the court, regardless of what some fans think about his foul-drawing ability. The only game in which he struggled in the Western Conference Finals was Game 3. That was Minnesota’s lone win, a 42-point blowout. The game got out of hand quickly, leading to SGA only playing 28 minutes. He still led the team with 14 points.
Game 5 was similar, only in reverse, as the Thunder dominated from start to finish en route to a 30-point victory. SGA finished 34 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds on 14-25 shooting in just 34 minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2025 Western Conference Finals stats
| Game | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| 1 | 31 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 37.0% | 0.0% | 78.6% |
| 2 | 38 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 57.1% | 50.0% | 86.7% |
| 3 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 30.8% | 40.0% | 100% |
| 4 | 40 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 43.3% | 28.6% | 85.7% |
| 5 | 34 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 56.0% | 50.0% | 100% |
| Totals Per Game | 31.4 | 5.2 | 8.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 45.7% | 31.8% | 86.3% |
Why is the Western Conference Finals MVP called the Magic Johnson Trophy?
The NBA added a couple of new awards in recent years to honor some of the league’s best-ever players. Two of those awards became the Western and Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
The Western Conference Finals MVP is also known as the Magic Johnson Trophy. It’s a nod to Johnson’s 13-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers in which he made the NBA Finals nine times and won five championships.
The Eastern Conference Finals MVP is named after Larry Bird, who won three championships in five trips with the Boston Celtics. He also played 13 seasons, facing Johnson often in the 1980s.
Magic Johnson Trophy winners
| Player | Team | Year |
| Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 2022 |
| Nikola Jokic | Denver Nuggets | 2023 |
| Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks | 2024 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2025 |
