Tyrese Haliburton took the league by storm by leading the Pacers to their first NBA Finals in 25 years. Although they came up short in Game 7 against the Thunder, the Pacers deserve praise for putting up a memorable run and giving basketball fans their share of NBA 2025 highlights.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave Oklahoma City fans something to write home about by giving them their first title since 1979 (when they were still the Seattle Supersonics). Along the way, he also achieved a rare feat we haven’t seen since LeBron James in 2012-13.
Jalen Brunson also did something that New York supporters will remember for a long time. On the other hand, Nikola Jokic almost won his fourth career regular season MVP after yet another productive campaign.
Without further ado, let’s pay tribute to all of these stars for a job well done in today’s SBOTOP NBA feature.
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
Many argue that the Pacers might have won Game 7 against the Thunder if Tyrese Haliburton hadn’t ruptured his right Achilles. Haliburton started the final game hot, making three of his first four three-pointers. However, he injured his Achilles on a drive attempt with less than six minutes in the first period and left the game on crutches. With Haliburton out, the complexion of the game changed, and Indiana lost 103-91.
Haliburton’s Cinderella run did not have a happy ending, but he earned himself some new fans. During the early rounds of the playoffs, Haliburton received the most votes for being the “most overrated” player in the NBA in an anonymous poll by The Athletic. But after this postseason, it’s safe to say those claims have been put to rest.
He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.4 steals on 47/39/85 shooting splits across 73 regular season starts. The Pacers will anxiously wait for his return to the hardwood since Haliburton is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 campaign.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
The Thunder finally did it. After their infamous move from Seattle in 2009, the Thunder won their first NBA championship in Oklahoma City after a dream season from their best player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander won the regular season MVP, Western Conference MVP, and Finals MVP in the same year.
Western Conference MVP aside, the Canadian guard became the first player since 2012-13 LeBron James to win the regular season and Finals MVP in the same campaign. He was also the scoring champion after averaging 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.7 steals on 52/38/90 shooting splits across 76 regular season appearances.
Oklahoma City have a realistic shot of becoming the first team to repeat next season, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. They are young and have a war chest of assets they can use to strengthen their roster, and the NBA 2025 odds have them as a super early favorite to win it all next term.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Jalen Brunson has also stood out this season after guiding the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. Along the way, they ended the Celtics’ championship reign in the second round after Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles in Game 4.
New York came up short against Indiana, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The Pacers stole the first two games at Madison Square Garden through Tyrese Haliburton’s late heroics. The Knicks won Games 3 and 5 but were eventually eliminated in Game 6 after a 125-108 defeat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Following the ECF exit, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, and they have yet to appoint his replacement. Either way, the new head coach will be tasked with maximizing the group they have, with Brunson as their alpha dog.
Brunson finished the 2024-25 campaign averaging 26.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on 49/38/82 shooting splits across 65 regular season starts.
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Nikola Jokic would’ve won his fourth regular season MVP if it weren’t for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s dream season. Most pundits had the Joker second behind the Thunder guard after averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and 1.8 steals on 58/42/80 shooting splits across 70 regular season starts while helping Denver claim the fourth seed at 50-32 in a stacked Western Conference.
Jokic dragged the Nuggets past the Clippers in seven games during the first round and almost eliminated the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
For his efforts, Jokic is eligible to sign a new contract extension this summer, worth three years, $212 million, where he’ll earn a staggering average annual salary of $70.7 million.
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