After a record season in which he averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds, some were surprised that Luka Doncic did not win the 2023-24 Most Valuable Player Award. His statistics have not been seen since Wilt Chamberlain and the Dallas Mavericks won 50 games in a crowded Western Conference.

Those who believed he should have won MVP had their arguments validated when he led the Mavs to the NBA Finals and won Western Conference Finals MVP after crushing the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now he has additional proof that he should have been the MVP.

Luka Doncic has won the ESPY Award for 2024 Best NBA Player, defeating Denver’s Nikola Jokic (who earned MVP), Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. Before the ESPYs began, ESPN revealed the award in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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ESPN most likely publicised this since Doncic will not be attending the ESPYs tonight because he is on vacation, resting after a year-long run of basketball with few breaks between playing for Slovenia and the Dallas Mavericks. The ESPY Awards are determined by fan votes.

Doncic has continued to be recognised as one of the world’s best players, having earned five First-Team All-NBA honours and many top-ten MVP finishes. Despite his extraordinary stats, he placed third behind Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race this season. If he can lead the Mavs to one of the West’s top seeds next season, he should be able to win his first MVP award.

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