Lakers fans livid over Luka Doncic’s shocking number of MVP votes

Nypost · May 18, 2026 · 280 words · By Michael Duarte

Los Angeles Lakers Award Drought NBA MVP Voting Controversy Luka Doncic Performance

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Daily briefing

What to know about Los Angeles Lakers Award Drought

The NBA announced the 2026 MVP on Sunday morning and there was a shocking discovery.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The NBA announced the 2026 MVP on Sunday morning and there was a shocking discovery.

Why it matters

No, it wasn’t Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning for the second straight year, it was the fact that fourth-place finisher Luka Doncic failed to receive a single first-place vote.

Common ground

The Lakers superstar wasn’t expected to win the award, but he did lead the NBA in scoring this season with 33.5 points per game and won the Player of the Month Award twice.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Los Angeles Lakers Award Drought story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Cade Cunningham finished fifth?
How does this story connect Los Angeles Lakers Award Drought with NBA MVP Voting Controversy over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/18/sports/lakers-fans-livid-over-shocking-number-of-m…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 6

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Cade Cunningham finished fifth”

CORROBORATED

CBS Sports explicitly states that Cade Cunningham finished fifth in the voting.

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Claim 2: “The last Laker to win MVP was Kobe Bryant in 2008”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “He also finished third in assists per game and sixth in steals per game”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Doncic had an incredible season, averaging 33.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.6 SPG”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided results to confirm the specific per-game averages (33.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.6 SPG) for the 2025-2026 season.

info

Claim 5: “he did lead the NBA in scoring this season with 33.5 points per game”

SINGLE SOURCE

While Sporting News mentions Doncic had the highest scoring total, the specific figure of 33.5 PPG is not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2023–24 season. The playoffs began on April 20 and concluded on June 17 with the Boston Celtics winni…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NBA_playoffs

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Luka Dončić ( LOO-kə DON-chitch; Slovene: [ˈlùːka ˈdòːntʃitʃ]; born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Dončić

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis trade was a National Basketball Association (NBA) trade made on the night of February 1–2, 2025, which saw Luka Dončić traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Dončić–Anthony_Davis_trad…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Doncic finished fourth, earning one second-place vote, eight third-place votes, 60-fourth-place votes and 23 fifth-place votes from 100 media members worldwide”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results provide the exact breakdown of votes: 1 second-place, 8 third-place, 60 fourth-place, and 23 fifth-place votes.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dončić finished the season's MVP race in third place.[243] He was selected to his fifth All-NBA First Team, joining Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan as the only players with five All-NBA First Team selecti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Dončić

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web search NEUTRAL — Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić did not receive a single first-place vote in the MVP voting as revealed on Sunday, though he did receive one second-place vote, eight third-place votes, 60 fou…
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25428900-how-many-votes-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Doncic received zero first-place votes, one second-place vote, eight third-place votes, 60 fourth-place votes and 23 fifth-place votes.Here are some of the reactions from Lakers fans regarding Luka Do…
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-lakers/luka-doncic-…

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Claim 7: “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning for the second straight year”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including NBA.com and news reports, confirm Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2026 MVP for the second consecutive year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2024–25 season and conclusion to the season's playoffs. The best-of-seven series ended with the Western C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NBA_Finals

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2024–25 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by the reigning MVP and scoring leader Shai Gilgeous-A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NBA_playoffs

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( SHAY GHIL-jəs; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Bas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shai_Gilgeous-Alexander

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 8: “won the Player of the Month Award twice”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No evidence in the provided search results mentions the number of Player of the Month awards won by Luka Doncic in the 2025-2026 season.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 NBA playoffs is the ongoing postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2025–26 season. The playoffs began on April 18 and will end with the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Fina…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_NBA_playoffs

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Victor Wembanyama finished in third-place and received five first-place votes”

CORROBORATED

Both CBS Sports and a dedicated MVP voting report confirm Wembanyama finished third with five first-place votes.

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web search NEUTRAL — Wembanyama also plays for the French national team, with whom he won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. At the youth level, he led his team to two silver medals, including at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Wembanyama

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web search NEUTRAL — In addition to finishing in third place in league MVP voting, Wembanyama also won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and he won it in a landslide as he was a unanimous winner — the first time in …
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/san-antonio-spurs/victor-wemban…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jokić got 10, Wembanyama received five and Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who finished fifth in the voting behind fourth-place Luka Dončić, got two first-place votes. Here are the complete voting resul…
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/shai-gilgeous-alexander-m…

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Claim 10: “guiding the Lakers to the fourth seed in the Western Conference”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “The Lakers haven’t had a major individual award winner since Lamar Odom won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2011”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “Doncic finished first in the league in total point, points per game, usage %, total free throws made, free throws per game, three pointer per game, and points per 100 possessions”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “The NBA announced the 2026 MVP on Sunday morning”

CORROBORATED

NBA.com and other web results confirm the MVP was announced on Sunday.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, the Eastern Confere…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NBA_Finals

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 NBA season is the 80th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 21, 2025 and ended on April 12, 2026. The third edition of the in-season NBA…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_NBA_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 14: “Doncic reportedly traveled back to Slovenia on Sunday where he plans to continue to recover from his grade 2 hamstring strain injury”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Nikola Jokic finished in second-place and received 10 first-place votes”

CORROBORATED

CBS Sports confirms Nikola Jokic finished second and received 10 first-place votes.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nikola Corporation (formerly known as Nikola Motor Company) was an American manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles. [2] It presented several co…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Corporation

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 20, 2025 · EV and FCEV truck startup Nikola Corp. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, seeking a sale of its assets after being unable to secure additional investments. At one point the tru…
https://www.autoweek.com/news/a63852456/nikola-truck-startup…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 22, 2025 · The trucks, along with hydrogen storage and fueling equipment and extra truck parts, are being sold off following Nikola's bankruptcy filing in February.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a64851773/nikola-bankrupt-…

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Claim 16: “fourth-place finisher Luka Doncic failed to receive a single first-place vote”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Luka Doncic finished fourth and received zero first-place votes.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2023–24 season and conclusion to the season's playoffs. In the best-of-seven playoffs series, the Eastern…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NBA_Finals

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.