The 2026-27 NBA season is here, and Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has gotten off to one of the best starts by any star in the league, most recently scoring 52 points in a win over the Utah Jazz.
While that was the 10th 50-point game of Doncic’s career, and his third playing for the Lakers, it set a historic mark for the Slovenian superstar, according to a recent announcement made by the league ahead of the team’s upcoming game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Three games through the season, Doncic is leading the league in scoring and remains one of the top favorites to win his first MVP award. Based on what he’s done so far for the Lakers, he’s in line for arguably the best season of his career, and the best the historic franchise has seen in a while.
NBA Announces Historic Luka Doncic News After 52-Point Game
In a post on X, the NBA communications department announced that after Doncic’s 52-point bomb against the Jazz, he is now tied with Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the 11th most 50-point games in regular-season history, currently at 10.
“Luka Dončić scored 52 points in his last game, giving him 10 career regular-season games with at least 50 points – tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for 11th in NBA history,” the NBA wrote. “Dončić and the Lakers (3-0) host the Trail Blazers (2-0) tonight at 8 PM PT on NBC and Peacock.”
Dončić and the Lakers (3-0) host the Trail Blazers (2-0) tonight at 8 PM PT on NBC and Peacock.
Additionally, according to BasketNews.com, Doncic has now also passed LeBron James in 40-point games for the Lakers. He also recently set the franchise record for the fewest games to reach 3,000 points while playing in the Purple and Gold.
“By eclipsing the 40-point mark for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Utah Jazz, Luka Doncic surpassed LeBron James in a key milestone in the franchise’s history. Doncic passed his former co-superstar to move into sixth on the all-time list for most 40-point games in franchise history,” BasketNews staff wrote. “What is even more remarkable is that it only took 95 games for him to reach the franchise’s 3,000-point mark. George Mikan, who trails Doncic on the all-time list, needed 106 games to reach the 3K club, while James required 114 games.”
Doncic has gotten off to an insanely hot start to the season with the Lakers, leading the NBA in scoring, remaining a top MVP candidate, and leading the team to a 3-0 record, putting them tied for first in the Western Conference standings.
Where Does The Lakers Star Sit In The MVP Odds And Statistical Categories?
Amid Doncic’s fiery start to the 2026-27 NBA season, he is still one of the top favorites to win the first MVP award of his career. He was a preseason favorite, but wasn’t in the top-3, which differed from nearly all of the previous seasons of his career, both with the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.
Ahead of Los Angeles’ game against Portland, and coming off his 52-point performance, Doncic is one of a few players with strong odds to win the MVP award this season.
According to Kalshi, the Lakers star has a 19% chance to win, behind Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Similarly, according to DraftKings, he has +425 odds for the top individual award, still trailing the other two stars.
As mentioned, Doncic leads the NBA in scoring at 34.3 points through three games. He’s also sixth in assists (8.0) and second in three-pointers made per game (5.0).
He’s also first in usage percentage (41.8%), and if any stat, outside of his scoring and playmaking, tells a story about the MVP award, it could be that. If the Lakers continue to let Doncic do his thing, it could give him the best shot at winning the MVP trophy this season.
He’s already gotten off to a historic start, and if he keeps it up, Doncic could be in line to win the MVP award for the first time in his career, also becoming the latest Lakers player to do it since Kobe Bryant in 2008.
After scoring 52 points in his last outing, Doncic and the Lakers are back in action on Tuesday night, set to host the Trail Blazers at 8 pm PST and live on NBC and Peacock.
NBA Announces Historic Luka Doncic News Ahead Of Lakers Game