The Oklahoma City Thunder and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have agreed to a four-year, $285 million deal, according to ESPN.com.
The annual average of $71.25 million per season is the highest in NBA history and runs through the 2030-31 season.
The 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander had a season for the ages, leading the Thunder to their first NBA championship with a seven-game victory over the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 30.3 points a game in the series and named the Finals MVP.
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Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.1 points per game in the regular season, including a streak in which he scored 20 or more points in 72 consecutive games. He also averaged five rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists. His value was not only on the offensive end but defensively as well, as Oklahoma City was first in defensive rating and third in offensive rating.
He also won the regular-season MVP and led the league in scoring, becoming only the fourth player to achieve those feats, joining the ranks of Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
A three-time first-team All-NBA performer, Gilgeous-Alexander is scheduled to take home $38.3 million and $40.8 million in the final two years of his current contract, which he signed in 2021. He will make $63.5 million in the first year of the extension, $68.6 million in 2028-29, $73.7 million in 2029-30 and $78.7 million in the final year of the deal.
Gilgeous-Alexander was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th pick of the 2018 NBA Draft and was traded to on draft night to the Los Angeles Clippers. After averaging 10.8 points a game in his rookie campaign, he was shipped to Oklahoma City in the blockbuster Paul George deal. (This story was updated to change a video.)