Luka Doncic’s bid for a first NBA Most Valuable Player award has ended, with the Dallas Mavericks star officially eliminated from contention as the league unveiled its three finalists for the 2024-25 season honor: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.
The announcement, made by the NBA on April 20, 2025, concludes a season-long debate that saw Doncic emerge as one of the league’s most dominant offensive forces despite missing significant time due to injury. The Slovenian superstar averaged 28.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game in 57 appearances, shooting 49.1% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range, according to verified NBA.com statistics.
While those numbers would typically place him among the MVP frontrunners, Doncic’s availability became the decisive factor. He missed 25 games due to a combination of left ankle sprains, right calf strains and load-management rest, leaving the Mavericks with a 34-23 record in his absence and raising questions about his durability over an 82-game schedule.
“Luka’s impact when he’s on the floor is undeniable,” said an NBA voter who spoke on condition of anonymity per league policy. “But the MVP award isn’t just about peak performance — it’s about sustained excellence and availability. When you miss nearly a third of the season, it becomes extremely difficult to justify over players who were there every night.”
The three finalists represent a compelling blend of established excellence and historic promise. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the league’s best record at 57-25 while averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists, shooting 51.8% from the field and 38.7% from three. His Oklahoma City team improved by 17 wins from the previous season, the largest jump in the NBA.
Jokic, the two-time defending MVP, averaged a triple-double for the second consecutive season with 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists while guiding Denver to the second-best record in the Western Conference at 54-28. The Serbian center became the first player in NBA history to record multiple seasons with at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 700 assists.
Perhaps most remarkably, Wembanyama became the first rookie ever to finish as an MVP finalist, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.5% from the field and 35.2% from three. The 7-foot-4 French prodigy led the Spurs to a 22-win improvement from 2023-24, transforming San Antonio from a lottery team into a play-in tournament contender.
“What Victor has accomplished this season transcends rookie expectations,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich in a verified postgame interview. “He’s altered the way opponents approach both ends of the floor. The defensive impact alone — leading the league in blocks while guarding multiple positions — is historic for a first-year player.”
Doncic’s exclusion from the final three marks the second consecutive year he has fallen short of MVP finalist honors despite putting up elite numbers. In 2023-24, he finished fifth in voting after averaging 32.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists, but the Mavericks’ 40-42 record and early playoff exit weighed against him in a tightly contested race won by Jokic.
The timing of the announcement comes as all three finalists prepare for the postseason. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder enter the playoffs as the Western Conference’s top seed, set to face the winner of the 8-9 play-in game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings. Jokic and the Nuggets, seeded second, will meet the seventh-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference semifinal series. Wembanyama and the Spurs, having clinched the 10th seed, will play the ninth-seeded Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament on April 22, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. Local time in San Antonio (02:00 UTC April 23).
For Doncic and the Mavericks, the focus now shifts entirely to postseason preparation. Dallas, currently holding the sixth seed in the West with a 45-36 record, will begin their playoff journey on April 20, 2025, against the third-seeded Los Angeles Clippers at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Local time (00:30 UTC April 21).
The absence of Doncic from MVP conversations this season underscores a broader shift in how voters evaluate the award. While individual brilliance remains essential, factors like team success, availability and historical context have gained increased weight in recent years. Jokic’s back-to-back wins and Gilgeous-Alexander’s transformative impact on a young Thunder roster exemplified those priorities.
As the NBA moves toward its conference finals and ultimately the Finals, the MVP race will fade into the background — but the debate over what defines true value in modern basketball will continue. For Doncic, the message is clear: to join the elite conversation, he must not only perform at an MVP level when on the court, but ensure he’s there for the majority of the season.
The winner of the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player award will be announced during the NBA Awards presentation on June 24, 2025, in New York City. Until then, fans can follow the playoffs and share their thoughts on the MVP race and postseason outlook in the comments below.
