Luka Dončić is one of the top candidates to win the MVP award this season. Dončić is the league’s current leading scorer in terms of points per game. He has also efficiently led the Los Angeles Lakers to the top three of the Western Conference this season.
Given how poorly the Lakers have performed over the last few seasons, Dončić turning the tables for the team this year is undoubtedly worthy of MVP recognition. However, it appears that sports journalist Rachel Nichols isn’t a fan of Dončić’s work and will rule him out of her MVP voting this year.
Why Rachel Nichols Says Luka Dončić Doesn’t Deserve the MVP Award
It’s no secret that the Lakers are arguably a much better team with Dončić at the helm. His jaw-dropping offensive prowess has reshaped the team into becoming one of the elite teams in the Western Conference again.
Of course, we also need to give credit to Dončić’s new duo, Austin Reaves, who has effectively played his role as the Lakers’ second option. However, we can’t discard the fact that Dončić’s 33.7 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game are a huge reason why the Lakers have been great this year.
While many believe that Dončić’s numbers are deserving of the MVP award, sports journalist Nichols isn’t hopping on the bandwagon. Nichols explained that although the Slovenian superstar is a prolific scorer, that alone isn’t enough to crown him the MVP.
“Is he the top contender for MVP right now? No, he is not,” Nichols said about Dončić. “Is it because you do have to play both sides of the ball for all eight months of the season? Yes, it is.”
“I mean, he has definitely been improving,” Nichols added. “Luka is not the defensive liability that people think he is once he gets to the playoffs. He cares differently, and he plays differently. It is a full-season award, and it is for both sides of the ball. So, am I going to vote him my number one for MVP? No.”
The NBA world was in shock to hear Nichols’ sentiments about Dončić and expressed their thoughts on X. Here’s what some fans had to say:
O’Shea Jackson Jr. noted how other MVPs before Dončić also weren’t great on defense: “This is some bulls**t lmao. Jokic not some elite defender. Steph has never been considered an elite defender my boy was quick with the deflection steals just like Luka.”
This is some bullshit lmao. Jokic not some elite defender. Steph has never been considered an elite defender my boy was quick with the deflection steals just like Luka.
Welcome to the Lakers 77 https://t.co/n5z8HnvhZR — O’Shea Jackson Jr (@OsheaJacksonJr) March 31, 2026
Kevin Gray Jr. shared the same sentiments as Jackson Jr. and pointed out how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić both were some of the worst defensive players when they won the MVP award: “SGA has the 6th worst individual defensive rating all-time for an NBA MVP just last season… Nikola Jokic has the 2nd worst individual defensive rating all-time for an MVP in the 20-21 season. But Luka can’t win MVP, y’all got it man…carry on.”
SGA has the 6th worst individual defensive rating all-time for an NBA MVP just last season…
Nikola Jokic has the 2nd worst individual defensive rating all-time for an MVP in the 20-21 season But Luka can’t win MVP, y’all got it man…carry on https://t.co/OOntBbTD1N — Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) March 31, 2026
LakersGuru noted how Nichols vouched for Jokić’s MVP case for carrying the Denver Nuggets, which is something Dončić has been doing for the Lakers: “Rachel Nichol pleaded for Joker to win MVP based on ‘carrying’ while his teammates were down with injuries.”
🚨#GuruCam📸🎥 bat signal 🆙
Rachel Nichol pleaded for Joker to win MVP based on “carrying” while his teammates were down with injuries. pic.twitter.com/eL1ck99Bxd https://t.co/NjeJNJ1IhO — 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) March 31, 2026
Quis also questioned Nichols for previously vouching for Jokić: “Where was this energy when Jokic was winning MVP?”
where was this energy when Jokic was winning MVP ? https://t.co/oVdsG6nUVn
— Quis (@quiscapalot) March 31, 2026
As of March 28, Dončić is in fourth place in the NBA MVP race. He was previously in second place, indicating how well he’s performed this year.
