Is Luka Dončić the Most Disrespected Star in NBA History?
Currently, the greatest athlete alive on the planet is playing basketball in Los Angeles, and his name is Luka Dončić. That discussion would obviously be up for debate, but what’s not up for debate is how otherworldly his recent performances have been.
Dončić has started the season hotter than anyone in NBA history not named Michael Jordan. He’s passing greats (including himself) in wild statistics on a nightly basis and leading the Lakers to a phenomenal start regardless of their obvious holes.
There is a question to be asked. Despite putting up video game numbers every night, how is Luka Dončić not getting the respect he deserves?
Luka Dončić is Hands Down the Most Disrespected Player in the NBA
Before the second leg of the Lakers’ back-to-back against the Miami Heat, the NBA released its first NBA Players of the Week. They select one from each conference, and the players selected were Jayson Tatum and Victor Wembanyama.
Typically, that would make sense as both players are ultra talented and climbing the MVP ladder as you read this. What doesn’t make sense is that Luka Dončić has been, without a shadow of a doubt, better than Wembanyama this week, as well as both of them overall in the MVP discussion.
Dončić averaged more PPG than Wembanyama, and did it on far better efficiency from the field. He was also just 2 RPG shy of the 7’4″ alien. This week’s Western Conference Player of the Week award not going to Luka is shocking.
For the week in question, Luka averaged 41 PPG, 9 RPG, 6.7 APG, and did it on 50/47/91 shooting splits. Take a second and read that back again. Dončić became the first player in NBA history to average those numbers over a week and not win a Player of the Week.
WILD BUT TRUE 🤯
Luka Dončić is the FIRST player in NBA history to average all five milestones over a week with at least THREE games played and NOT win Player of the Week:
40+ points
5+ rebounds
5+ assists
2+ steals
50/40/90 shooting splits https://t.co/pw8dA5lzHG— Novig (@Novig) November 2, 2026
It’s not just his offensive numbers either. It’s his defensive stats as well that have been shining. Despite the media’s best efforts to convince you he’s a cone, he’s been phenomenal. Nobody outside of the Lakers fandom seems to be talking about the leap Dončić has made defensively this season.
It doesn’t stop there either. Although the official KIA MVP Ladder doesn’t release until Nov 6th, most markets have Luka behind Wembanyama, Tatum, and even SGA in some cases. The disrespect must end.
Those players are all fantastic. They’ve just simply not been on the same level as Luka Dončić has been on to start the season.
Dončić is on a pace that, if kept up, will end up being one of the greatest statistical seasons of all time. If all goes well, he stays healthy, and keeps up this pace, not being crowned MVP will be a slap in the face of an All-Time great.
