The Los Angeles Lakers have been making a clear and obvious push for franchise star Luka Doncic to win the NBA MVP award for the 2025-26 season, and with his play and overall statistics, they have a strong case.
However, while Doncic trails in the MVP race despite his record-breaking performances in March, his odds for the award have only dropped, still sitting behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama as the third favorite to take home the trophy.
Now, as the regular season is winding down, more and more MVP voters are speaking out as to why Doncic won’t get their vote, despite how well he’s played in his first full season with the Lakers.
Rachel Nichols on Luka Doncic MVP Vote
Most recently, it was Rachel Nichols of Sports Illustrated, previously ESPN, who said that he won’t vote Doncic first for the MVP this season.
Speaking on her podcast, Open Floor, with NBA insider Chris Mannix, Nichols claimed that Doncic’s minimal impact on the defensive end of the floor is the reason why she won’t have him first on her MVP ballot.
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“Is he the top contender for MVP right now? No, he is not. Is the reason because you do have to play both sides of the ball for all eight months of the season? Yes, it is,” she said. “I mean, he has definitely been improving. I am the loudest voice that Luka is not the defensive liability that people think he is. Once he gets to the playoffs, he cares differently. He plays differently, and it is a full-season award, and it is for both sides of the ball.”
Doncic is averaging 1.7 steals per game this season, and while he still might not be a top-tier on ball defender, it’s not like the stats show he’s at the bottom of the league at that end of the floor.
– 0.84 PPP allowed in isolations (109 possessions) – Top 10 in Steals – Top 7 in Charges Drawn – 95th percentile in shots contested – 87th percentile in rim contests
(Via @KellyIko )
Nichols’ comments come on the heels of Michael Wilbon of ESPN sharing a similar sentiment about Doncic’s MVP chances.
“I have a vote in this, and I will tell you it’s tightened up,” Wilbon said. “My vote, and I’m not even sure the order, I think it’s Jaylen Brown one, I think it’s SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) two, and I think it’s Victor [Wembanyama] three. And then don’t talk to me about a guy who plays half the court, Luka Doncic.”
While Doncic has been criticized for his efforts on the defensive end of the floor, Wembanyama, when making his own case for why he should win MVP, said that defense is ‘50%’ of the game. As he’s arguably the best player in the NBA on that end of the floor, it’s hard to disagree with any sentiment that his defensive impact is anything less than MVP quality.
Luka Doncic Breaks Silence On MVP Award
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 18: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Toyota Center on March 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
While Wembanyama has made a clear push for him to win the MVP award this season, Doncic hasn’t been the same.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick, along with teammates Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, have all spoken recently about why he deserves the MVP, but when asked himself, Doncic stayed relatively mum about potentially receiving the honor.
“I mean, I never did that, so, I’m not the one voting,” Dončić said after Los Angeles’ latest win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I think I’ve been playing pretty good, we’ve been winning. That’s it, that’s all I gotta say.”
Doncic was previously down in MVP odds for much of the season. However, with his historic play in March, while the Lakers went 15-2 and surged up the West standings, things changed.
The Slovenian averaged 37.5 points, eight rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.3 steals on 49.2/39.2/79.4 shooting splits in 16 games. He became only the tenth player in NBA history to score at least 600 points in a single month.
“Luka has had as good of a month as anybody that I can remember in modern NBA at least since I’ve been part of it,” Redick said on Doncic’s play in March and his MVP chances. “Certainly LeBron [James] has had those, [James] Harden has had those, Steph [Curry] has had those, but he just played phenomenally this month.”
Los Angeles Lakers Get More Bad News On Luka Doncic MVP Odds