The Oklahoma City Thunder announced devastating news on February 7, 2026. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA's leading MVP candidate, will miss at least five games with an abdominal strain.

The injury occurred during Tuesday's blowout win over Orlando. Now the Thunder must survive their toughest stretch of the season without their superstar.

The Timeline

Gilgeous-Alexander will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break. That means five games on the shelf.

The schedule is brutal: at San Antonio, home against Houston, home against the Lakers, at Phoenix, and home against Milwaukee. Four of those teams are playoff contenders.

The Thunder are 2-0 this season without SGA. They beat Memphis and Utah by a combined 34 points. But this stretch will test their depth like never before.

The MVP Race Implications

Gilgeous-Alexander has played in 49 of 51 games this season. Under the new rules, he can miss up to 17 games and remain eligible for MVP voting.

If his absence ends after the All-Star break as scheduled, he will have missed exactly five games. That leaves 12 to spare.

His top competition cannot afford any more absences. Denver's Nikola Jokic has already missed 16 games. One more would disqualify him.

The All-Star Replacement

SGA will not compete for the World squad despite being voted a starter. Adam Silver must name a replacement.

The leading candidates: Houston's Alperen Sengun (20.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG) and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. Both were notable snubs from the original roster.

The Numbers

Gilgeous-Alexander is having a career year. He is averaging 32.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. He is shooting 52.1% from the field.

The Thunder sit at 42-9, the best record in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City will survive these five games. But every minute without their MVP feels like an eternity.