MVP finalists named
- The NBA announced its MVP finalists for the season, sparking debate about the snub of other stars. - The three finalists named were Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama. - Social coverage immediately debated whether Luka Dončić’s omission was controversial for awards narratives (x.com).
The National Basketball Association named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama as finalists for the 2025-26 Kia Most Valuable Player award on April 19. (nba.com) The league announced the finalists as part of its seven major regular-season awards package, with MVP listed alongside Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and four other honors. The same release said award winners will be announced during the postseason, with other trophies scheduled this week. (nba.com) Gilgeous-Alexander entered the announcement as the top name on NBA.com’s final MVP Ladder, published April 17. That piece cited his 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, plus Oklahoma City’s 64-win season and the top seed in the Western Conference. (nba.com) Jokić and Wembanyama were the other two names on that final ladder, and NBA.com’s week-by-week tracker showed all three spent time at No. 1 during the season. The tracker’s last update placed Jokić second, Wembanyama third and Luka Dončić fourth. (nba.com) That helps explain the immediate reaction to Dončić missing the finalist list. Dončić finished the regular season averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 64 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, according to NBA.com and Basketball-Reference. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com) The omission also landed in the middle of a season shaped by availability and timing. NBA.com’s player page said Dončić was ruled out for the rest of the regular season on April 3 with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain after appearing in 64 games. (nba.com) Wembanyama’s inclusion gives the ballot a different look from last season. In 2024-25, the NBA’s MVP finalists were Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to the league’s awards page. (nba.com) The finalist list does not decide the winner by itself, but it narrows the public argument to three names before the league reveals the result later in the postseason. For now, the official ballot says the race is Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić and Wembanyama. (nba.com)
