Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may have secured his second straight MVP trophy on Sunday, but the voting breakdown quickly shifted attention elsewhere. Despite leading the league in scoring and carrying the Los Angeles Lakers through another chaotic season, Luka Doncic failed to receive a single first-place vote – a result that instantly sparked backlash across the NBA community. Finishing fourth behind Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama was surprising enough. The complete absence of top votes made it far harder for fans to digest.

For Doncic, the latest MVP race added another bizarre chapter to an already unpredictable climb through the rankings. Just two seasons ago, he finished third in voting after one of the best offensive campaigns in the league. Last year, he slipped outside serious contention. This marked the first time in recent memory that a scoring leader received zero first-place votes, especially notable given his prior top finishes.

This season, his numbers forced him back into the conversation again, but voters still refused to place him at the top of their ballots. Cade Cunningham even managed to secure two first-place votes while Doncic walked away with none. In the end, the Lakers superstar collected one second-place vote, eight third-place selections, 60 fourth-place nods, and 23 fifth-place votes for a total of 250 points.

Moreover, Luka Doncic thrived in his second year with Los Angeles, turning 64 appearances into a statistical masterclass. The Lakers guard poured in 33.5 points per game while also delivering 8.3 assists and grabbing 7.7 rebounds nightly. Meanwhile, his efficiency stayed rock solid — 47.6% shooting from the field, 36.6% from 3-point range, and 78% at the free-throw line.

Doncic played 64 games and qualified for awards via an NBA/NBPA “extraordinary circumstances” exception to the 65-game rule, similar to Cade Cunningham. In contrast, SGA appeared in 68 games for a Thunder team that posted one of the league’s best regular-season records.

And therefore, fans aren’t hiding their outrage. The 2025-26 scoring champion surely deserved better!

Fans call out Luka Doncic’s zero first-vote verdict

Iztok Franko tweeted, “I knew it was over for top 3 when Luka dropped from 2 to 4 in late March on MVP Ladder…after averaging 40 points and Lakers having most wins in March.”

With that, he attached an image explaining why Luka Doncic finished fourth. 33.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, plus a ridiculous 39.5 ppg stretch over his last 11 games. Add in 60-point, 50-point, and three 40-point explosions while pushing the Lakers up the West standings. And the drop made almost 0% sense to fans watching the ladder closely.

Meanwhile, Dan Woike tweeted, “Luka Dončić finishes 4th in MVP voting. Day in and day out, felt like he had a better season than that.”

Doncic landed in one of the strangest MVP situations fans have seen in years. Meanwhile, the Lakers star posted averages of 34/8/8 and secured the Scoring Title, making the final voting results feel even more baffling across the league.

Voters appeared to prioritize SGA’s superior efficiency (55.3% FG), defensive impact, availability, and team success with the top-seeded Thunder over Luka’s higher-volume scoring in fewer games.

“It proves agenda is real. 83 vs 0 is crazy,” another one said. While Shai Gilgeous Alexander played 68 games with 31.1 PPG, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks, Luka answered with 33.6 PPG, 7.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 64 games. Meanwhile, defenses treated Luka like a nightmare. 37% double teams on drives, 29% triple teams in halfcourt sets, plus the NBA’s second-most wide-open 3s created from traps.

While SGA dominated with 83 first-place votes, the split (Jokić 10, Wembanyama 5, Cunningham 2, Luka 0) highlighted divides between individual brilliance and team context, as well as between two-way play and single-position play.

A fan called out the media, “You guys (NBA Media) spent all day inventing something to criticize Luka Doncic for, and now you’re surprised by this?”

The NBA MVP award is decided by roughly 100 sportswriters and broadcasters spread across the United States and Canada. The league personally selects the panel, aiming to balance different markets, team coverage, and viewpoints. Each voter submits a ballot ranking candidates. The final results come from a broad mix of opinions. No single region, fanbase, or media company controls the outcome.

Therefore, the fans feel that the media indeed played a big role in Luka Doncic finishing 4th overall. And so, more outrage poured in for the experts. Someone said, “They hate him. Pretty obvious with zero first-place votes.”

So, Luka Doncic finishing fourth never sat right with fans, and the reaction only grew louder as the full voting picture surfaced. While Shai Gilgeous Alexander claimed the spotlight again, many believed Luka carried a stronger case than the final ballots reflected. Meanwhile, the media panel faced major backlash. Fans questioned how Luka’s dominant season received so little top-tier recognition.