Luka Dončić Tipped for MVP After LeBron's Exit
An NBA executive predicts Luka Dončić will carry the Lakers and win MVP this season, while Giannis Antetokounmpo eyes a big year in Miami.
An NBA executive expects Luka Dončić to carry the MVP conversation this season, arguing that Los Angeles life without LeBron James will push the Slovenian to show his full range.
"Without LeBron James, the full weight of expectations at the Lakers will fall on Luka Dončić's shoulders, and that will force him to fulfil his potential. He will take the MVP trophy home to Slovenia next summer," the executive said.
Dončić, 27, missed large stretches of last season through injury and fell out of the MVP race as a result. Shai Gilgese-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama have emerged as the front-runners for 2026/27, according to Sports.ru, with Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo named among the chasing pack.
A separate club manager framed Antetokounmpo's move to Miami in similar terms. "This will be a season of revenge for Giannis. People did not take him seriously enough in Milwaukee. In Miami, he will be impossible to ignore," the manager said.
Antetokounmpo left Milwaukee for the Heat over the summer and, by all accounts, wants to re-establish himself among the league's genuine MVP contenders after the switch.
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