NBA awards finalists announced: Lakers' Luka Doncic will not be league's next MVP
LOS ANGELES - Luka Doncic's MVP hopes were officially dashed on Sunday afternoon when the NBA announced that the regular-season scoring champion is not among the three finalists for the league's top honor.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the reigning MVP), Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (a three-time winner) and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama were voted by the media as the top three candidates for MVP.
Doncic, who successfully vied for a waiver to become eligible for all end-of-season awards after not reaching the 65-game minimum following the Grade 2 left hamstring strain that cut his regular season short, is still eligible for All-NBA honors. The 27-year-old guard has been All-NBA five times in his career, all of them first-team selections.
The Slovenian star averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 64 games this season, while shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.6% from 3-point range. His scoring average was more than two points higher than the second-highest mark this season – Gilgeous-Alexander at 31.1 ppg.
Doncic was named the Western Conference Player of the Month twice (in January and March), helping the Lakers to a 15-2 record in the latter, when he averaged a league-leading 37.5 points on 49.2% shooting.
Doncic had a 60-point performance against the Miami Heat during the Lakers' nine-game winning streak that ultimately put them in position for a top-four playoff seed in the West despite the late-season injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves. The Lakers' leading scorer – by 11.2 ppg – had 14 game of at least 40 points and had a 51-point showing against the Chicago Bulls to go along with his game in Miami.
The Lakers finished (53-29), but none of their players nor Coach JJ Redick were announced as finalists for end-of-season individual awards. The last Lakers player to win an end-of-season award was Lamar Odom, when he earned Sixth Man of the Year honors in the 2010-11 season.
Here is how the full slate of individual awards finalists shaped up, with winners likely to be revealed in mid-May:
Most Valuable Player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City
Nikola Jokic, Denver
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
Defensive Player of the Year
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City
Ausar Thompson, Detroit
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
Sixth Man of the Year
Tim Hardaway Jr., Denver
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio
Most Improved Player
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta
Deni Avdija, Portland
Jalen Duren, Detroit
Coach of the Year
J.B Bickerstaff, Detroit
Joe Mazzulla, Boston
Mitch Johnson, San Antonio
Rookie of the Year
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte
Cooper Flagg, Dallas
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 5:17 PM.