Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic Candace Parker
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Candace Parker says Luka Dončić is being taken for granted and should be the NBA’s MVP favorite right now.
Former WNBA super star Candace Parker isn’t tiptoeing around the conversation for who is the best player in the league right now. In her view, Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic should be the NBA’s MVP frontrunner right now and the fact that he isn’t being treated as such says more about voter fatigue than his actual impact.
Appearing on the podcast Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, the former WNBA champion drew a pointed comparison that immediately resonated: Doncic may be getting “Kobe’d.” Not criticized. Not diminished. Just taken for granted.
“Don’t Kobe Luka,” Parker said. “Don’t get bored with greatness. Luka Doncic is a beast, and I feel like, to some extent, we overlook greatness because you see it for an extended period of time.”
Luka’s MVP case is straightforward
Since arriving in Los Angeles, Doncic has functioned as the engine keeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the title conversation. Through 42 games, he’s averaging 32.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists, leading the league in scoring while carrying an uneven roster through injuries and inconsistency.
Those are MVP-level numbers by any historical standard. Yet Doncic continues to sit just outside the consensus top tier of MVP chatter, largely because the Lakers remain sixth in the Western Conference and are still battling to avoid the Play-In.
That framing of wins first, context second is exactly what Parker is pushing back against.
Parker knows this city and this narrative
Parker’s perspective carries weight, and not just because of her basketball resume. The former No. 1 overall pick spent 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, winning Rookie of the Year and two MVP awards in Los Angeles. She understands both the expectations and the blind spots that come with sustained excellence in this market.
Her argument isn’t that team success doesn’t matter. It’s that individual dominance shouldn’t be penalized simply because it’s become routine.
“What Luka is doing, we cannot get bored with that,” Parker said. “If you win MVP, it’s this year.”
Doncic has been firmly in the MVP conversation since his second season in the league, but has never finished high enough in the voting to truly be a factor. Outside of last season where he only played 50 total games between his time with the Dallas Mavericks and after being traded to the Lakers, Doncic finished as a First Team All-NBA selection five straight years with three top-5 MVP finishes.
The highest he finished was third in the 2023-24 season, getting a mere four first place votes behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15 votes) and the eventual winner, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (74 votes).
The Kobe Bryant parallel isn’t accidental
Parker’s warning draws directly from history. Kobe Bryant,one of the most dominant players of his era, finished his career with just one MVP award (2008). That outcome still feels incomplete.
In 2006 and 2007, Bryant led the league in scoring at 35.4 and 31.6 points per game, dragging flawed Lakers rosters into playoff relevance. MVP voters, however, leaned toward cleaner narratives and stronger team records. Steve Nash won in 2006. Dirk Nowitzki followed in 2007 after Dallas won 67 games.
The lesson, as Parker sees it, is clear: sustained excellence can become invisible. Doncic is averaging the second most points per game of his career (32.8) and getting to the free throw line a career-high 10.9 times per game, all while averaging a near triple-double.
At age 26 there is clearly more time for him to make a run at MVP. But if voters are not impressed by what he is doing now, it won’t become anymore intriguing over time with the rise of players like Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham and other stuffing the stat sheet as well.
A contrasting MVP debate
During the same podcast discussion, Tracy McGrady made the case for Jaylen Brown, citing Boston’s ability to stay near the top of the East despite losing multiple starters and dealing with Jayson Tatum’s absence.
It’s a valid argument and a familiar one. But Parker’s stance cuts deeper. MVP, in her eyes, isn’t just about standings. It’s about recognizing when a player is redefining the floor for greatness.
Right now, that player is Luka Doncic. If voters hesitate because they’ve seen this level of dominance too often, Parker’s message is a reminder worth heeding: greatness doesn’t become less valuable just because it’s consistent.