NBA

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks a Michael Jordan mark after winning NBA title

Winning the NBA title was just part of the story for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His performance throughout the season was enough to surpass Michael Jordan in a historic scoring category—one reserved only for champions.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs
© Joshua GateleyShai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his first NBA title in his seventh season, and to many, it felt inevitable. Over the last three years, the Thunder guard has evolved into one of the most dangerous scorers in the league—drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan during his prime, when he set records once believed to be untouchable. But now, one of those records belongs to Gilgeous-Alexander.

The mark that Gilgeous-Alexander broke was the result of a dominant 2024–25 regular season with the Oklahoma City Thunder—his best yet with the franchise in terms of games played, field goal attempts, and three-point attempts, just to name a few.

But it wasn’t just regular season stats that mattered. He needed an NBA championship to unlock the chance to surpass something Michael Jordan accomplished during the 1992–93 season. After four playoff appearances between 2018–19 and 2024–25—and over 45 playoff games—it finally happened.

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What record did Gilgeous-Alexander break?

According to league stats, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now holds the highest regular season scoring average by a player in a championship-winning year. It’s a mark that stood for more than two decades—one even legends like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant never surpassed.

Thunder vs Pacers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket around Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter Paycom Center on March 29, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a career-high 32.7 points per game in the regular season, edging out Jordan’s 32.6 PPG from 1992–93. Notably, both players played fewer than 80 games that season. Shai also topped Jordan in another regular season category—free throw percentage—posting 87.3% compared to Jordan’s 83.7%.

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Thunder Make History Too

Beyond Gilgeous-Alexander’s personal accolades, the Thunder shattered several franchise and league records during their title run, including a league-best 68–14 record in the regular season.

“The Thunder finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record and won the title… all while doing it with one of the youngest championship cores the league has ever seen.” —James J., The Athletic

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According to Rob Perez, the Thunder also set four notable NBA records during the 2024–25 season and playoffs:

  • +259 Best home point differential in a single postseason
  • +131 Best turnover differential in a single postseason
  • 19–2 Best record following a loss in a single season
  • +1247 Best total point differential in a single season
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