Now, the 27-year-old’s MVP journey has looked like a roller coaster with no brakes. After soaring to No. 3 during the 2023-24 race and slipping to eighth the year before, the Lakers star hit another strange turn this season. Cade Cunningham even grabbed 2 first-place votes while Luka got none. Still, the numbers kept him somewhat alive in the conversation. 1 second-place vote, 8 third-place nods, 60 fourth-place selections, and 23 fifth-place picks stacked up to 250 total points.
Luka led the league in scoring (33.5 PPG), but didn’t receive any first-place votes and only got one second-place vote
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— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 18, 2026
Moreover, Luka Doncic thrived in his second year with Los Angeles, turning 64 appearances into a statistical masterclass. The Lakers guard poured in 33.5 points per game while also delivering 8.3 assists and grabbing 7.7 rebounds nightly. Meanwhile, his efficiency stayed rock solid — 47.6% shooting from the field, 36.6% from 3-point range, and 78% at the free-throw line.
And therefore, fans aren’t hiding their outrage. The 2025-26 scoring champion surely deserved better!
Fans call out Luka Doncic’s zero first-vote verdict
Iztok Franko tweeted, “I knew it was over for top 3 when Luka dropped from 2 to 4 in late March on MVP Ladder…after averaging 40 points and Lakers having most wins in March.” With this, he attached an image that explained why Luka Doncic finished fourth. 33.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, plus a ridiculous 39.5 ppg stretch over his last 11 games. Add in 60-point, 50-point, and three 40-point explosions while pushing the Lakers up the West standings. And the drop made almost 0% sense to fans watching the ladder closely.
Meanwhile, Dan Woike tweeted, “Luka Dončić finishes 4th in MVP voting. Day in and day out, felt like he had a better season than that.”
Doncic landed in one of the strangest MVP situations fans have seen in years. Among the Top 8 vote-getters, only Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, and Victor Wembanyama also earned Defensive Player of the Month recognition. Yet, Luka somehow walked away with 0 first-place MVP votes. Meanwhile, the Lakers star posted 34/8/8 averages and secured the Scoring Title, making the final voting results feel even more baffling across the league.
“It proves agenda is real. 83 vs 0 is crazy,” another one said. While Shai Gilgeous Alexander played 68 games with 31.1 PPG, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks, Luka answered with 33.6 PPG, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 64 games. Meanwhile, defenses treated Luka like a nightmare. 37% double teams on drives, 29% triple teams in halfcourt sets, plus the NBA’s second-most wide-open 3s created from traps.
A fan called out the media, “You guys (NBA Media) spent all day inventing something to criticize Luka Doncic for, and now you’re surprised by this?”
The NBA MVP award is decided by roughly 100 sportswriters and broadcasters spread across the United States and Canada. The league personally selects the panel, aiming to balance different markets, team coverage, and viewpoints. Each voter submits a ballot ranking candidates. The final results come from a broad mix of opinions. No single region, fanbase, or media company controls the outcome.
Therefore, the fans feel that the media indeed had a big role to play in having Luka Doncic finish 4th overall. And so, more outrage poured in for the experts. Someone said, “They hate him. Pretty obvious with zero first-place votes.”
So, Luka Doncic finishing fourth never sat right with fans, and the reaction only grew louder as the full voting picture surfaced. While Shai Gilgeous Alexander claimed the spotlight again, many believed Luka carried a stronger case than the final ballots reflected. Meanwhile, the media panel faced major backlash. Fans questioned how Luka’s dominant season received so little top-tier recognition.
