The NBA announced that Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is eligible for all annual awards for the 2025-26 regular season.
Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain with five games remaining in the season. His status for the playoffs has been the biggest storyline, but a close second has been the fact that his injury stopped him from reaching the 65-game threshold on the season.
However, Doncic appealed this using the Extraordinary Circumstances clause, stating that he should not be penalized for the two games he missed in December due to the birth of his child, and both the NBA and NBPA agreed with his case as he is ruled eligible, in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.
This is a massive decision in favor of Doncic, as he is now fully eligible for end-of-season awards, including MVP and All-NBA teams. The Lakers star made a late case for MVP, but is unlikely to win over candidates like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama or Nikola Jokic.
However, this decision likely secures his place on his sixth All-NBA First Team for the 27-year-old. He and Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons were both seen as potential first team selections until late injuries stopped them from reaching 65 games. But with both having successful appeals, they seem poised to join Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and Jokic as the First Team.
Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves also pled his case to be eligible, but his appeal was denied by the league.
Luka Doncic continues international scoring streak
Doncic, regardless of this appeal, was already locked in as the scoring champion for the 2025-26 season. He averaged 33.5 points per game, beating out Gilgeous-Alexander for the top mark in the NBA in his first full season with the Lakers.
This continues an unprecedented streak of international success. Doncic’s win marks the fifth consecutive year that an international player has led the league in points per game. It was Joel Embiid in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Doncic in 2023-24, Gilgeous-Alexander last season and now Doncic again this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks also finished in the top three in four of these seasons, while Jokic also had a top three finish. In fact, only two American players — Damian Lillard and Edwards — had any top three finishes in the last five seasons, showing true dominance from the international stars of the NBA. Before this run, no international player had ever won the scoring title.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
