NBA: Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 'I failed at my goal'

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander repeated as NBA Most Valuable Player and is the consensus best player in the sport with only three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets able to make a reasonable case.

Despite another dominant individual season, the Oklahoma City star described the 2025–26 campaign as a failure on Sunday, one day after the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, ending their bid for back-to-back championships. The Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks, while Gilgeous-Alexander begins an earlier-than-expected offseason.

“I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said during his exit-day press conference. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest improvements in my career when I fail and don’t get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”

The Thunder appeared to be strong contenders to return to the NBA Finals for most of the season. Oklahoma City opened the year with a 24–1 start and later posted a 19–1 surge down the stretch, finishing the regular season at 64–18. The team carried that momentum into the playoffs, winning its first eight postseason games before encountering difficulties against San Antonio.

Oklahoma City held a 3–2 series lead in the Western Conference finals but suffered a decisive 118–91 loss in Game 6 on the road. The Spurs then closed out the series with a 111–103 win in Game 7.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 25.9 points per game in the series, including three performances of 30 points or more, but shot just 40.9 percent from the field—well below his 55.3 percent mark during the regular season, when he averaged 31.1 points per game.

He was held under 37 percent shooting in four games, as Spurs center Victor Wembanyama proved to be a constant defensive presence throughout the series.

“There’s a guy on their back line that is a little bit different,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Wembanyama. “They funnel everything to him. It’s a really good defense, but it’s not impossible to score. I just think it’s very different.”

Injuries also impacted Oklahoma City’s postseason run. Forward Jalen Williams missed Game 7 due to a left hamstring injury and appeared in only three games in the series and five total in the playoffs. Guard Ajay Mitchell, who helped fill the gap, also missed the final four games after suffering a right calf strain.

Another point of concern was the performance of center Chet Holmgren, who was outplayed by Wembanyama over the course of the series. Holmgren averaged 10.7 points and was limited to four points on 1-of-2 shooting with four rebounds in 33 minutes during Game 7.

“I feel like part of it was being kind of closed out heavily,” Holmgren said. “Then also just being a little out of rhythm at times. There were definitely opportunities to get more attempts up that I didn’t take in the moment. That’s an area to improve.”

Wembanyama finished the series with 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game for San Antonio, anchoring the Spurs’ defense and helping propel the franchise back to the NBA Finals for the first time in years. -Field Level Media/Reuters