DUBAI: After falling just one game short of the league’s 65-game requirement this season, the Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been granted eligibility under the NBA’s “extraordinary circumstances” provision.
The decision, agreed between the league and the National Basketball Players Association recently, took into account both his injury absence and time away to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia.
The ruling places Doncic firmly back in the race, backed by a season that ranks among the most complete in the league.
He averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game to finish as the NBA’s leading scorer, while also earning multiple Player of the Month honors. A standout March saw him surpass 600 points, a milestone reached by only a select group of players in league history.
In his second season with the Lakers, Doncic has taken full control of the team’s offence. His ability to dictate tempo, create opportunities and deliver in key moments has been central to their success, particularly during a strong late-season run that secured them the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the opening round.
His impact has also been reflected off the court, particularly across the Middle East.
Doncic currently leads NBA jersey sales in the region, while also ranking among the top sellers in Europe. The Lakers is the overall top team in merchandise sales, highlighting the global appeal of the player and franchise.
Despite his standout season, the MVP race remains highly competitive.
Doncic is part of a tightly contested field that includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic, with the final outcome likely to be decided by fine margins.
As the playoffs begin, attention has shifted to his fitness.
A grade-two hamstring strain late in the regular season has cast doubt over Doncic’s availability for the Lakers’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles will host game one on April 18, but may have to begin the series without him.
The challenge is compounded by the absence of Austin Reaves, who has been ruled out with a grade-two oblique strain and is expected to miss the entire first round.
When available, Doncic and Reaves combined to average 56.8 points, 13.8 assists and 12.4 rebounds per game this season, underlining the scale of the challenge the Lakers now face without them.
That responsibility will now fall heavily on LeBron James.
Still performing at a high level, James enters another postseason with the opportunity to add further milestones to an already historic career. If he can guide the Lakers through the opening round, it would mark yet another chapter in a legacy defined by longevity and excellence.
For Doncic, the question is no longer whether he belongs in the MVP conversation, but whether he can hit that level immediately upon his return — and sustain it through the playoffs.
