Even though Doncic did not secure the MVP title, he is still bringing home additional accolades for this season.
Despite a historic season where he averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game—numbers not seen since the days of Wilt Chamberlain—and leading the Mavericks to 50 wins in a competitive Western Conference, many were surprised that Luka Doncic did not receive the 2023-24 MVP award. Those who believed he deserved the MVP had their arguments reinforced when Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and earned the Western Conference Finals MVP after a dominant performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, he has additional evidence to support his case for having been the MVP.
Luka Doncic has claimed the 2024 ESPY Award for Best NBA Player, surpassing Denver’s Nikola Jokic (the MVP winner), Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. ESPN revealed the award in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation prior to the start of the ESPYs.
ESPN likely went ahead and announced this as Doncic won’t be in attendance for the ESPYs tonight as he is on vacation, taking a rest after a year-long stretch of basketball with very few breaks between playing for Slovenia and the Mavericks. The ESPYs are fan-voted.
Doncic has continued to garner recognition as one of the best players in the world, having already made five First-Team All-NBAs and multiple top-ten MVP finishes. The discourse surrounding his MVP campaign this season was odd despite his otherworldly stats, as he finished in third behind Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. If he can lead the Mavs to one of the top seeds in the West next season, he should be able to take home his first MVP trophy.
