Stars Tyrese Maxey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned some much-deserved accolades.
Numerous former Kentucky Wildcats dominate the NBA ranks, and Tyrese Maxey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are among them. The rising stars have cemented themselves as a few of the best guards in the NBA.
Both received further honors on Monday as they were named the Players of the Week for each respective conference.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 35.8 points per game over the week for the Thunder, led his team to a perfect 4-0 record. Maxey’s Sixers went 3-0 with the young guard averaging 32.3 per game.
Here’s the official announcement from the NBA Communications team.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 10 of the 2024-25 season (Dec. 23-29). pic.twitter.com/77bIBhXt10
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 30, 2024
The Sixers, who have been injured often this season with superstar center Joel Embiid missing numerous games, sit 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 12-17 record. Behind Paul George, Maxey, and Embiid, the Sixers are still expected to be among the handful of teams competing for a championship.
As for the Thunder, a team solely led by SGA, they have the second-best record in the NBA and lead the Western Conference. They are 13-2 at home and 13-3 on the road, riding an 11-game win streak as well.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a career-best season last year in terms of his all-around performance, and this year might be even another step in the right direction, averaging 31 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.
While Maxey might be a few years out, SGA is undoubtedly going to be in the MVP conversation this season.