Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini, appears to have leaked the 2025 NBA MVP winner early, naming Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before the league’s official announcement
Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini, appears to have jumped the gun on one of the NBA’s biggest honors — naming Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player, hours before ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the award did indeed go to the Thunder point guard.
Upon searching the phrase “2024-25 Kia MVP” on Wednesday, Google prompted a result that read, “The Kia MVP for the 2024-25 NBA season is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is the star point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The award is one of seven major individual awards in the NBA, according to NBA.com.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has made a strong case for the award all season, pitted against the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. He led the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game and helped lift the Thunder to the top of the Western Conference, cementing himself as one of the league’s most dynamic and consistent performers.
While it remains unclear how Gemini surfaced this information, the incident highlights growing concerns around AI-generated content and its ability to share sensitive or unconfirmed data. With the NBA expected to announce the MVP soon, all eyes remain on whether the leak proves true.
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The MVP race has largely been a two-man battle between Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, who put up historic numbers in his own right. The Nuggets star averaged nearly a triple-double and once again anchored Denver on both ends of the floor. But Gilgeous-Alexander’s case hinges not just on stats — but success.
He led a young Thunder squad to a 68–14 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, surpassing Jokic’s defending champion Nuggets in the standings.
That edge was reinforced in the postseason. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder knocked out Jokic and the Nuggets in a decisive Game 7, dominating 125–93 to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016. With the Thunder now facing the Minnesota Timberwolves and favored to win the Finals, SGA’s MVP candidacy has only grown stronger in hindsight.
A significant factor in the Thunder’s success has been their generational defense. Oklahoma City led the NBA in defensive rating during the regular season, allowing just 106.3 points per 100 possessions.
Their defensive prowess is further highlighted by leading the league in opponent field goal percentage (43.1 percent), deflections per game (18.9), and points allowed in the paint (41.2). Gilgeous-Alexander ranked 11th with 1.7 steals per game in the regular season.
The leak turned out to be spot on, adding an unexpected twist to the NBA MVP announcement. The league has now officially confirmed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as this year’s MVP, capping off a breakout season with the game’s most prestigious individual honor.
