The case for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was simple. He’s the best player on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had the best record this season and set a league mark for margin of victory. If that wasn’t enough, he also won the scoring title.

That’s an MVP year.

Gilgeous-Alexander was announced Wednesday as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, his first time winning the award. It’s now seven straight years that a player born outside the U.S. won MVP, extending the longest such streak in league history.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game this season, leading the Thunder to a 68-14 record. The Thunder outscored teams by 12.9 points per game, the biggest margin in league history.

He becomes the second Canadian to win MVP; Steve Nash won it twice.

NFL

Colts Owner Irsay dies at 65 >> Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts’ owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a new stadium and a Super Bowl title, died at age 65.

Pete Ward, Irsay’s longtime right-hand man and the teams chief operating officer, made the announcement in a statement from the team. He said Irsay died peacefully in his sleep.

“Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed,” Ward said. “Our deepest sympathies go to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson, and his entire family as we grieve with them.”

Titans sign Ward to contract >> The Tennessee Titans have known they wanted Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall draft pick for a long time, and now they have their rookie quarterback signed to his first NFL contract.

The Titans announced that Ward has signed his deal but did not share financial details. Ward’s deal is worth reportedly $48.7 million over four years.

The 6-foot-2, 219-pound Ward played 57 games over five seasons starting at Incarnate Word in 2020, Washington State in 2022 and then his final year in college last season at Miami. He finished with career 18,184 yards passing and set a Division I record with 158 touchdown passes.

Owners shut down tush push ban >> NFL owners voted against a proposed ban on the tush push.

The proposed prohibition of the polarizing short-yardage play failed by two votes to reach the required majority, a 22-10 decision that will allow quarterbacks to continue to be aided by teammates when plunging into the line.

The Philadelphia Eagles brought former center Jason Kelce, one of the players who fueled the success of the tush push, to the meetings in Minnesota with owner Jeffrey Lurie to provide more clarity around the play.

After the vote was taken, the Eagles sent on social media a picture of quarterback Jalen Hurts about to run a tush push against the Green Bay Packers with the caption, “Push on.”

Racing

Penske fires top 3 in wake of cheating scandal >> Roger Penske fired team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer in the wake of an Indianapolis 500 cheating scandal.

Penske is owner of the three-car team, IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. He has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times.

Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were found to have an illegally modified part on their cars ahead of Sunday’s final round of qualifications for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Neither was allowed to qualify and both on Monday were dropped to the back of the field and will start 32nd and 33rd.