Luka Doncic will not be adding another NBA Most Valuable Player award to his resume this season, as the league officially announced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama as the three finalists for the 2024-25 Kia MVP Award.
The news came via the NBA’s official channels on April 20, confirming what many analysts and fans had suspected for weeks: the Dallas Mavericks star, despite another statistically dominant campaign, falls short of the top three in voting. Doncic, who averaged 28.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range, finishes outside the MVP conversation for the first time since 2020-21.
The omission marks a notable shift in the league’s hierarchy. Doncic, a two-time All-NBA First Team selection and 2023 scoring champion, has been a perennial MVP candidate since his breakout second season. His exclusion this year reflects both the extraordinary performances of the three finalists and the Mavericks’ inconsistent team record, which finished 42-40 and missed the playoffs outright.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Oklahoma City Thunder into the playoffs as the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed after guiding Oklahoma City to a franchise-best 57-25 record. The 26-year-old guard averaged 30.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 51.0% from the field and 38.5% from three — numbers that earned him unanimous All-NBA First Team honors and a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up finish.
Nikola Jokic, seeking his fourth MVP award in five seasons, anchored the Denver Nuggets to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 seed in the West. The Serbian center posted a historic 29.7 points, 13.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game — becoming the first player in NBA history to average a 25-10-10 line over a full season — while shooting 58.3% from the field and 41.1% from three.
Victor Wembanyama, in just his second NBA season, transformed the San Antonio Spurs from lottery also-rans into a playoff contender with a 47-35 record and the No. 8 seed in the West. The 7-foot-4 French phenom averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 1.2 steals while shooting 51.5% from the field and 36.8% from three — becoming the first player ever to record at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, 200 blocks and 100 three-pointers in a single season.
Doncic’s absence from the finalist list raises questions about how voter priorities shifted this season. While his individual numbers remained elite, the Mavericks’ failure to reach the postseason — despite playing in a loaded Western Conference — likely weighed heavily. NBA MVP voting traditionally favors players whose teams achieve significant success, with only two players in the last 25 years winning the award while their team missed the playoffs (Russell Westbrook in 2016-17 and Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019-20, both of whom had historically unprecedented statistical seasons).
“It’s disappointing, but I’m proud of how we fought all season,” Doncic said in a postgame interview after Dallas’ final regular-season game. “We had injuries, we had tough stretches, but we never quit. Now we reset and get ready for next year.” The Slovenian superstar missed 18 games due to various ailments, including a lingering ankle sprain and a thigh contusion that limited his availability during crucial March stretch runs.
The Mavericks’ season unraveled in the final month, going 6-9 in April after a promising 36-31 start. Key losses to direct playoff competitors — including home defeats to the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors — ultimately cost Dallas a play-in tournament berth. Defensively, Dallas ranked 22nd in defensive rating, a stark contrast to the top-three finalists’ teams, all of which finished in the top 10 defensively.
For Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wembanyama, the finalist recognition validates distinct paths to excellence. SGA emerged as the league’s premier two-way guard, Jokic redefined offensive gravity from the center position, and Wembanyama delivered a rookie-sophomore leap rarely seen in NBA history. The winner will be announced during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 21, with the trophy presented during the NBA Awards show on June 25 in Novel York.
As the NBA shifts focus to the playoffs, Doncic and the Mavericks will start an early offseason centered on roster health and strategic additions. Dallas holds the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and has significant cap flexibility to pursue a second star alongside Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The organization has confirmed it will exercise its team option on Derrick Jones Jr. For the 2025-26 season while evaluating the futures of several role players.
While the MVP snub stings, Doncic’s legacy remains secure. At 25 years old, he has already accumulated four All-NBA First Team selections, two scoring titles and Olympic gold with Slovenia. His career averages of 28.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.3 assists place him among the most prolific offensive forces in league history — a standard few have matched at such a young age.
The 2024-25 MVP race ultimately underscored a truth long recognized by NBA voters: individual brilliance, while necessary, is rarely sufficient without team success. For Doncic, the message is clear — to reclaim his place among the league’s elite award winners, the Mavericks must elevate their collective performance to match his.
The next checkpoint for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks is the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago from May 12-16, followed by the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25-26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Fans can follow updates through the official NBA app and the Mavericks’ website as Dallas begins shaping its roster for a return to contention.
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