Jalen Brunson Snagged the ESPY for Best NBA Player. SGA Has Every Right to Raise an Eyebrow.

So Jalen Brunson won the ESPY for Best NBA Player. That happened before the actual awards show, and it’s already got people talking. Not just because Brunson had a monster season — but because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander definitely has a case for feeling overlooked.

The nominees were stacked: Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Brunson. And it was the Knicks guard who walked away with the trophy. Kendrick Perkins, who’s never short on opinions, gave his reasoning on why Brunson deserved it.

“When you look at the run he had, he arguably had one of the greatest individual runs in NBA history as far as winning the championship,” Perkins said. “Averaging 30 points in the NBA Finals, having that epic comeback in Game 4, in Game 5, 45 points to close it out on the road. The last person to do that was Michael Jordan.”

Perkins added: “A second-round pick, going to New York and making them relevant again, bringing that franchise back to life, then all of a sudden delivering a championship after 53 years of misery.”

And yeah, Brunson’s postseason was ridiculous. No argument there. But here’s the thing: Gilgeous-Alexander just won his second straight NBA MVP. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the league. Again. That’s not nothing.

ESPY voters clearly factored in the playoffs — which is fair, because the ESPYs are kind of a vibes-based awards show anyway. But SGA can point to a longer run of sustained dominance. Two MVPs in a row is rare company. And he’s got his own ESPY hardware too: he won Best Male Athlete last year.

Wembanyama and Jokic had solid arguments as well, but they got left out. Wembanyama’s rookie year was historically good. Jokic is Jokic. But that’s how these things go sometimes.

Look, Brunson’s story is incredible. A second-round pick who turns a franchise around and wins a title in New York after more than five decades of waiting? That’s the kind of narrative that wins awards. But Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency — and the fact that he’s been the best player in the regular season for two straight years — means this decision is going to sit weird with some people.

The Thunder star might not say anything publicly. But you can bet he noticed.