In his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Dončić once again proved why he remains one of the league’s premier offensive talents.
Despite leading the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points per game and putting together one of the best statistical seasons in franchise history, the 27-year-old finished fourth in the 2025-26 NBA MVP voting.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said he was "disappointed" Dončić wasn't among the top three finalists before they announced the winner, adding that his play wasn't talked about enough among the media.
"I think he deserved to be there and I think all three guys that did end up being finalists had strong cases," Redick said. "I guess we underperformed for a couple months despite him getting Player of the Month one of those months. The media momentum just never got built."
Jordan Teller - The Sporting Tribune
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers lays the ball up during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday March 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Dončić played in 64 games this season, affecting NBA defenses in all types of ways as he averaged 9.2 assists and 8.7 rebounds while serving as the centerpiece of the Lakers' offense.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award for the second consecutive season after guiding Oklahoma City to the NBA’s best record with 64 wins. Gilgeous-Alexander earned 83 first-place votes in the final results.
Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets finished second in voting, while Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs placed third ahead of Dončić.
Luka Dončić finishes 4th in MVP voting. Day in and day out, felt like he had a better season than that. pic.twitter.com/WjziZlwEQK
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) May 17, 2026
Dončić received just one second-place vote and zero first-place votes. Yes, ZERO.
Injuries to his campaign could have been a factor in that. But let's look at the numbers before that.
One of the defining stretches of his season came during the Lakers’ dominant late-season run, when the Lakers went 15-2 in March while climbing the Western Conference standings with the Slovenian leading the way.
During that span, Dončić played some of the best basketball of his career, scoring 600 total points in March — the most ever by a Lakers player in a single month — highlighted by a 60-point performance on the road against the Miami Heat, which is the most he's had for the purple and gold.
Dončić averaged 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on 39% shooting from 3 and 49.2% shooting overall in the month as he earned Player of the Month. It was one of his two total Player of the Month awards this season, to go along with his four Player of the Week nods.
His ability to dictate tempo, create offense for teammates, and deliver in clutch moments helped the Lakers finish 53-29, securing their second straight 50-win season under head coach JJ Redick.
However, Dončić’s MVP momentum slowed after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain against Oklahoma City on April 2. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs, which likely impacted his standing in the final voting.
The Lakers were eventually swept in the second round by the Thunder without Dončić.
Dončić is widely expected to earn an All-NBA selection after the conclusion of the season, which would be his first with the franchise. But with his finish outside the top three, despite being the NBA's highest scorer, it leads to the question, Did they get it right?