04/21/26 05:32:00
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04/21 17:30 CDT Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA's Clutch Player of Year award,
topping Edwards, Murray
Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA's Clutch Player of Year award, topping Edwards,
Murray
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's trophy haul keeps growing.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City guard who is the reigning MVP and NBA
Finals MVP, is the Clutch Player of the Year award winner for this season, the
NBA announced Tuesday.
It's the first of what could be several awards for Gilgeous-Alexander in the
coming weeks. He's the heavy favorite to win a second straight MVP trophy ---
and because he's a finalist there, he's also a lock to make the All-NBA team
for a fourth straight year.
"This award means a lot," Gilgeous-Alexander said on NBC Sports, which aired
the award announcement. "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 topped Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and Denver's Jamal Murray
to win the clutch award.
Edwards didn't reach the 65-game eligibility standard for most league awards
like MVP and the All-NBA team --- and unsuccessfully appealed for a waiver that
would have put him on those ballots --- but his candidacy for the clutch award
wasn't affected by that rule.
Instead, the finalists for the clutch award were decided by a survey of the
league's coaches. That whittled the group down to 14 names, which were then
placed onto the ballot that a panel of 100 reporters and broadcasters who cover
the league filled out last week to decide the various awards.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been a contender for the clutch award since it was added
to the league's slate of trophies; he was third last season, eighth in 2024 and
seventh in 2023.
And now, it's his.
"I'm proud I get to hoist it," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It means I'm effective
out there."
Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the fourth player to win the clutch award, which was
added in tribute to Jerry West --- the inspiration for the NBA's logo and the
player long known as "Mr. Clutch" as a nod to his exploits when the outcome of
games was on the line.
De'Aaron Fox (then of Sacramento, now of San Antonio) was the first clutch
award recipient in 2023, followed by Golden State's Stephen Curry in 2024 and
New York's Jalen Brunson last season. Brunson was a nominee again this year.
For a play to be considered clutch, by the NBA's definition, these are the
criteria: The score differential has to be five points or less, and the game
has to be in either the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime.
All three of the leading vote-getters had compelling statistical arguments for
the award:
--- Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 175 points in clutch times, plus was
ninth with 21 assists in those situations. The Thunder went 20-7 in the 27
clutch games in which he played, and outscored opponents by 93 points in those
clutch situations with him on the floor.
--- Edwards shot 56.5% from the field in clutch moments, the best of any of the
league's 19 players that had at least 85 clutch-time points this season.
--- Murray was second in clutch points with 166 plus led the league with 30
clutch-time assists.
The clutch award was the second to be handed out this season. San Antonio's
Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous winner of Defensive Player of the Year,
which was announced Monday.
"It's just very meaningful to me," Wembanyama said Tuesday about being the
first unanimous winner of the DPOY trophy. "It means that's there no place for
debate. It means that everybody agrees upon something."
On Wednesday, the Sixth Man of the Year winner --- either the Spurs' Keldon
Johnson, the Nuggets' Tim Hardaway Jr. or Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. --- will be
revealed. The league's Sportsmanship Award winner will be announced Thursday,
followed by Most Improved Player on Friday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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