Luka Doncic finishing fourth in MVP voting already shocked many NBA fans. But the biggest controversy came from the fact that eight voters completely left the Los Angeles Lakers superstar off their top five ballots entirely.
Those eight voters were:
– Coty Davis (Detroit News)
– Brian Geltzeiler (SiriusXM NBA Radio)
– Ernie Johnson (ESPN)
– Tony Jones (The Athletic)
– Jim Owczarski (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
– Jason Quick (The Athletic)
– Maria Taylor (NBA on NBC)
– Gary Washburn (Boston Globe)
Honestly, that decision has created massive backlash around the NBA world. Luka had one of the best offensive seasons in basketball and carried the Los Angeles Lakers for long stretches throughout the season before injuries hit late in the year.
He finished the season averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.6% from three-point range. Luka also led the NBA in scoring. On top of that, he finished with the most 30-point games in the league with 44 and the most 40-point games with 16. He also had three 50-point games, which ranked second in the NBA.
When healthy, Luka looked unstoppable offensively.
For months during the regular season, especially around March, the MVP conversation heavily revolved around Luka and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Many analysts believed the award race was becoming a two-man battle because of how dominant Luka looked carrying the Lakers’ offense. Yet somehow, eight voters did not even believe he deserved a top-five spot.
That is where fans became furious. Luka received zero first-place votes, one second-place vote, eight third-place votes, 60 fourth-place votes, and 23 fifth-place votes. He finished with 250 total MVP points overall, which was fourth overall.
The biggest argument against Luka remains his defense. Even many Lakers fans admit his defensive effort and consistency were major issues throughout parts of the season. Opposing teams constantly targeted him late in games, and there were stretches where his lack of effort defensively became noticeable.
Still, leaving him entirely off the ballot feels extreme to many people around the league.
There is simply no realistic argument that five players clearly had better individual seasons than Luka Doncic. Even with the defensive concerns, his offensive production was historically elite. Few players in NBA history combine scoring, playmaking, rebounding, and offensive gravity the way Luka does at his size.
The frustrating part for Lakers fans is how quickly narratives seemed to shift after his injury. Luka got hurt late in the regular season and ended up missing the entire playoffs. The Lakers were eventually eliminated in the second round after injuries completely derailed their title hopes.
That playoff absence likely hurt his MVP momentum badly. But MVP voting is supposed to focus on the regular season, and Luka’s regular-season numbers were absurd.
The reaction online became even louder because some of the names involved surprised fans. Ernie Johnson especially drew attention because he is widely respected across basketball media and usually avoids major controversy.
Instead, this instantly became one of the biggest debates surrounding the NBA awards. Whether people believed Luka deserved second, third, or fourth in MVP voting is one thing.
But completely leaving him off the ballot after averaging 33.5 points and leading the league in scoring is something many NBA fans still cannot understand.
