SGA Wins 2025-26 NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award over Edwards, Murray, Full Voting Results

Nobody in the NBA was better in the clutch than Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season, at least according to the award voters.

Gilgeous-Alexander was named the 2025-26 NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award winner on Tuesday, defeating fellow finalists Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.

Here is a look at the voting results:

While Gilgeous-Alexander has his eyes on more notable accomplishments, such as a second straight championship and NBA MVP award, it came as no surprise when he was included in the list of three finalists alongside his fellow Western Conference playmakers.

After all, the Thunder leader always has the ball in his hands in the game's most important moments and was the primary driving force behind the team's success on the way to the league's best record at 64-18. And he did it all as the focal point of every opposing defense he plays, especially when the game was on the line in crunch time.

The NBA defines clutch as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime in a contest that is within five points.

While the Thunder didn't have as many of those games as some other teams because they were dominant enough to avoid close games at times, Gilgeous-Alexander still thrived when they did. In fact, he led the league among all qualified players with 6.5 points per game in clutch time, per NBA.com.

That is one way he was able to surpass Wilt Chamberlain's record for consecutive 20-point games, which was a mark he tied during a high-profile showdown with the Nuggets that saw him drill a clutch game-winner in the final seconds:

SGA also shot a sparkling 51.5 percent from the field in clutch situations despite being a guard who often has to shoot from the outside. Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to get to the free-throw line also stood out, as he led the league in both free throws made (2.1) and free throws attempted (2.5) per game in clutch situations.

But he was far from the only notable clutch time performer among the top Western Conference contenders.

Edwards was second among qualified players with 5.6 points per game in clutch situations and shot even better from the field at 56.5 percent. The biggest difference was he didn't get to the free-throw line as much (1.3 attempts per game), but he still consistently took over when the outcome was hanging in the balance.

As for Murray, he was fifth at 4.4 points per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from deep. He was also in the top 10 with 0.8 assists per game in clutch situations, underscoring his one-two dynamic with Nikola Jokić.

The two consistently work in pick-and-pops and off of each other in the biggest moments, which makes life particularly difficult for opposing defenses.

Fittingly, the Nuggets combination and Edwards are squaring off in the first round of the playoffs, which gives fans plenty of opportunity to see them exchange plays in the clutch for the right to advance.

Yet as excellent as Murray and Edwards have been in clutch situations, they were still left looking up at Gilgeous-Alexander when the award was handed out.