The record-shattering endeavors of Luka Doncic at an individual level have turned him into a prominent MVP candidate this season. Amidst the hype, Gilbert Arenas went against the flow, claiming that the Dallas Mavericks star didn’t deserve to be in the conversation. In the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, the 42-year-old elaborated on his stance while using Kobe Bryant as an example.
Advertisement
Initially, Arenas shed light on the NBA’s lack of transparency over the selection of regular season MVPs. He based his judgment entirely on the potential parameters for consideration after evaluating the past winners. The 3x All-Star subsequently mentioned the importance of team performance in securing the award apart from registering remarkable individual stats.
The former Wizards star further extended his viewpoint while using the achievements of certain NBA greats as references. Arenas shed light on how the likes of Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain suffered due to this as their franchise’s underperformance overshadowed their brilliance. The 3x All-star discussed how even Michael Jordan faced a similar fate on several occasions even after leading the league in points.
Consequently, Arenas pointed out how Luka deserved the same outcome as the Mavs lingered at the 8th spot on the table.
“When Kobe was doing what Kobe was doing…He didn’t win MVP…If winning wasn’t involved, the MVPs would look different across the board…So, I don’t even wanna have the discussion about the fantasy of if we took away winning…F**k his stats.”
The straightforwardness of the statement summarized the difficulty in securing the MVP awards. Bryant, for example, recorded his career-high points per game (35.4) in the 2005/06 campaign as per StatMuse, yet failed to win it as the Los Angeles Lakers secured 7th position. In the following season, he once again led the league in points (31.6) but faced the same outcome as the organization lingered at the 7th spot.
Kobe won the MVP in 2008 when he had his 5th best point-per-game season with 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Lakers finished the 2007-08 season 1st in the West, which played a key role in the 5x NBA champion securing the MVP.
Luka Doncic, interestingly, is facing a similar situation as the Mavs fail to bring consistency to their games. At an individual level, the Slovenian is setting a new benchmark averaging season-highest points (34.7) and third-highest assists (9.8) as per the NBA website. However, the performances of his franchise must reflect the same as the regular season reaches its twilight.
Shaquille O’Neal also shared his concerns over the MVP selection
Shaquille O’Neal has always been vocal about the lack of transparency over the selection of MVP during the regular season. The 52-year-old’s frustration lay in losing out to Steve Nash in both 2005 and 2006 due to the accomplishments of the latter’s team. Thus, he expressed similar concerns as Arenas during his appearance on ESPN’s NBA in Stephen A.’s World in December 2022.
“Somebody needs to write down the criteria so the world understands things. Is it based on your team’s success or based on what you would be able to play?…Ain’t no way Steve Nash outplayed me in those two years he won MVP. I don’t care what nobody says. They had a better record but I don’t believe in all that,” Shaq mentioned.
Expectedly, these complexities have once again clouded the minds of the NBA followers as the MVP race intensifies. At the moment, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum remain ahead of Doncic due to their teams’ overperformance. Yet, there is time for Luka superstar to turn things around with the odds staying majorly against him.
