SGA faces a historic climb: the elusive third straight MVP

Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander is approaching a threshold reached by only three giants of the game: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird, the lone players to claim three consecutive MVP awards. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst notes, the challenge is not simply maintaining elite production. The real obstacle is the shifting attitude of voters once a star has ruled the conversation for too long. Windhorst argues that the bar for a third straight trophy becomes extraordinarily high, regardless of performance.

He points to legends who stalled at two, from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic to Stephen Curry, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Each encountered the same resistance, a kind of voter fatigue that redirected momentum elsewhere. Early preseason projections place Gilgeous‑Alexander only fourth, a reminder that narrative weighs heavily. The upcoming campaign will reveal whether he can overcome not just opponents, but decades of precedent that make a third MVP notoriously difficult.