Jalen Williams Asserts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Had Finals MVP Locked Down Despite His Game 5 40-Point Outburst

When the OKC Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals, it was a shoe-in that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be the Finals MVP. However, there were a few moments where it looked like SGA’s teammate Jalen Williams was just as deserving, especially after his big 40-point Game 5 performance.

One person who was certain that the honor would go to Jalen was NBA legend Tony Allen. The 2008 champ spoke to Williams about it during a recent interview on his Out The Mud podcast. Allen brought up the 40-point bomb, and it took off from there.

“I ain’t gonna lie bro, I kind of thought, ‘Damn this man might f****** steal Finals MVP.’ That’s what I thought,” admitted Allen, who remembers how well Jalen played in the championship series.

This brought a smile to Jalen’s face. “Naw, brother. I remember Stephen A. said the same thing. SGA averaging 30-something right now,” he laughingly responded. It’s honestly not the craziest thing if Jalen took the award from SGA. It wouldn’t have diminished anything Shai did for the Thunder by any means.

Jalen then shifted to speaking on his Game 5 pop-off. “It’s crazy cause I can barely watch the highlights. It’s hard to watch still. My mind goes, ‘One shot you miss, could be a completely different series.’ But I was just flowing,” revealed J-Dub.

“I was just out there. I kind of got lost in competing,” he added. “Superstitious? I didn’t do nothing different. I listened to my music I did every other time. I always got four songs I play right in a row.”

Of course, Allen was curious as to who was on Jalen’s playlist. J-Dub mentioned some classical bangers, including Lauryn Hill, before finishing his thought about Game 5. “The 40 I was just flowing, brother. I was just playing. I was playing hard as sh** on defense. I found a couple of easy buckets on O.”

SGA may have taken home Finals MVP, but the fact that voices like Tony Allen and Stephen A. even mentioned J-Dub shows how much he’s arrived.

That 40-point Game 5 wasn’t just a hot night. It was proof he’s more than just Shai’s sidekick. If anything, it signaled that the Thunder have two stars ready to drive this team for years to come.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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