Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this week after a sensational regular season. In his seventh year, the dynamic guard led the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game.
In a humorous twist, the University of Arkansas tried to lay claim to his success on Wednesday—despite Gilgeous-Alexander having no actual connection to the Razorbacks.
The MVP honor caps off a career-best year for Gilgeous-Alexander, who not only topped the league in points but also set personal highs in assists (6.4 per game) and made field goals (11.3 per game) while playing 76 games.
His elite play has carried into the postseason, where he’s leading the Thunder in a deep playoff run. Oklahoma City currently holds a 1-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, thanks in part to SGA’s 31-point performance in a dominant 114-88 victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander took a brief break from playoff preparations to accept his MVP award earlier this week—his acceptance speech quickly went viral across social media platforms.
It was a milestone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had chased since being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. During his MVP acceptance speech, the Oklahoma City Thunder star was visibly emotional as he thanked his wife for standing by his side throughout the journey.
Despite having no ties to the program, Arkansas boldly tried to take credit for Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP award.
The star guard actually played his lone college season at Kentucky under head coach John Calipari, where he averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. That 2017–18 Wildcats squad reached the Sweet 16 before falling in a close game to Kansas State. Gilgeous-Alexander declared for the NBA Draft shortly after.
Since then, the college basketball landscape has shifted. Calipari is now coaching at Kentucky’s SEC rival, Arkansas, and led the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 in his first season. After the MVP announcement, Calipari congratulated his former player—but it was his new school that raised eyebrows by trying to claim credit for the accolade, pointing to the coach-player connection.
The move sparked immediate backlash and plenty of mockery online, with fans quick to remind Arkansas that Gilgeous-Alexander’s roots—and résumé—have nothing to do with the Razorbacks.
“Have y’all tried posting about actual Arkansas players in the NBA?” one user quipped. “Arkansas flexing a Kentucky player is wild,” another added, capturing the internet’s collective confusion.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has no connection to Fayetteville, but that didn’t stop Arkansas from trying to insert itself into the MVP moment. The Razorbacks used the occasion to highlight the track record of their new head coach, John Calipari—who coached Gilgeous-Alexander during his lone season at Kentucky.
In doing so, Arkansas delivered arguably the most unintentionally hilarious response to the MVP ceremony, attempting to bask in the glow of a player who never wore a Razorback jersey. The internet wasn’t buying it.
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