Draymond Green doesn’t see Luka Doncic adding an MVP trophy to his résumé.
With the Los Angeles Lakers set to open the 2026-27 season against the Golden State Warriors, Green used a recent podcast appearance to make a bold call on the league’s biggest name in purple and gold. His view was blunt: Doncic, despite stacking up elite numbers year after year, will not win NBA MVP.
“Luka [Dončić] will never win an MVP in the NBA. This is the last possible year he can win it.”- Draymond Green(Via @DraymondShow) pic.twitter.com/48LpPaVpq2
The comments come as the Lakers move deeper into the Luka Doncic era. After LeBron James’ departure, Los Angeles has shifted into a new phase with Doncic as the clear face of the franchise, following the stunning trade that brought him to the Lakers ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
Doncic remains one of the league’s premier players, but the MVP vote has never quite broken his way. The 27-year-old has finished at or near the top of the ballot in recent seasons, yet the award still hasn’t landed in his hands.
His best finish came in 2023-24, when he placed third while leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. That year, the former No. 3 overall pick put up 33.9 points per game, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.7% from the field and 38.2% from three.
That wasn’t just a strong season. By the standards Doncic has set, it was still his best statistical stretch.
He turned in another MVP-level year in his first full season with the Lakers in 2025-26, averaging 33.5 points per game and helping Los Angeles reach 53 wins, their most since the 2019-20 championship season. Even so, the award again slipped away, with Doncic finishing fourth in MVP voting.
The league did recognize him elsewhere, naming him First-Team All-NBA for the sixth time in his career.
For Doncic, though, the bigger prize remains unchanged. An MVP would help polish the resume, but the championship is still the goal that matters most - bringing another title to Los Angeles.
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