Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA’s top clutch performer
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoots in the second half during Game 1 of the NBA play-offs against the Phoenix Suns.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK – Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the runaway winner in the Clutch Player of the Year award balloting, revealed on April 21.
He received 96 of 100 first-place votes and had 484 total points, well ahead of Denver Nuggets standout Jamal Murray (117) and Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards (116).
Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning league MVP and is favoured to win the award again this season. But he liked receiving the Jerry West Trophy too.
“This award means a lot,” he said of the Clutch Player award on NBC Sports. “To get this award, you have to help your team win games late and what I’m about more than anything is winning games.”
Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 175 points that occurred in clutch time, defined as games that were within five points in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime.
He shot 60.9 per cent from the field (39 of 64) during clutch time and made a league-best 16 go-ahead field goals.
This was the fourth season in which the award was given out. De’Aaron Fox (then with the Sacramento Kings) won the 2023 award, followed by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in 2024 and Brunson last season. Fox now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
West was known as “Mr Clutch” during his stellar career (1960-74) with the Los Angeles Lakers due to his many late-game exploits. He died in 2024.
In other NBA news, Billy Donovan is stepping down as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after six seasons.
The decision comes just over a week after the team closed out a 31-51 season that saw them miss the play-offs for a fourth consecutive year.
“I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit,” Donovan said in a statement.
The Bulls fired executive vice-president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6. The next day, CEO Michael Reinsdorf said he wanted Donovan to stay.
“While we clearly wanted Billy to return as our head coach, we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new Basketball Operations leadership,” Reinsdorf said on Tuesday.
“Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved.”
The Bulls posted a 226-256 record under Donovan. He led the franchise to one play-off appearance in 2022 when they lost in the first round. REUTERS
