When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins, he makes sure his teammates celebrate with him. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard surprised his entire team with Rolex watches and other gifts to mark his MVP award this NBA season, Hypebeast reported.
Thunder forward Jaylin Williams shared photos on Instagram showing off the Rolex watches on their wrists, with a smiling Gilgeous-Alexander in the background. Williams appears to be wearing a two-toned Sea-Dweller in Oystersteel and yellow gold, featuring a black ceramic Cerachrom bezel. This model is priced at about $20,300 on Rolex’s website. Other players sported models like the Datejust 36, with both Jubilee ($14,400) and Oyster bracelets ($13,650), a Sky-Dweller in Oystersteel and white gold ($16,600), and a Submariner Date with a royal-blue dial ($17,600).
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t stop at watches. He also gave his teammates iPhones, Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, and custom Canada Goose jackets. The jackets featured a special patch commemorating the Thunder’s impressive 68-14 regular-season record. According to Hypebeast, the entire gift package was worth well over $10,000.
In his MVP acceptance speech, Gilgeous-Alexander expressed deep gratitude for his team. “I can’t say enough how much you guys mean to me, and not only as a basketball player, but as family,” he said, according to Complex. “We do everything together, on and off the court. You guys are really like my brothers. Without you, none of this would be possible. This award is your award, too.”
This is not the first time an MVP has shared the luxury. When Joel Embiid won MVP for the 2022-23 season, James Harden gifted him a $41,500 Everose gold Day-Date 40 with a custom “2023 MVP” engraving. Other sports stars do the same: last Christmas, Patrick Mahomes gave his offensive line stainless-steel Datejust 41 watches with white dials and Jubilee bracelets.
With the NBA Finals approaching, fans will be watching to see if the Finals MVP follows suit with lavish gifts for their team.