OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The All-NBA first team this season might have been decided in part by an appeals process.
Successful petitions by the Los Angeles Lakers ′ Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons ′ Cade Cunningham to gain eligibility for awards such as MVP and All-NBA this season — even after they fell short of the 65-game minimum — seem like they're about to become very worthwhile. Doncic was fourth and Cunningham was fifth in the MVP voting, released
Sunday night.
And since the All-NBA teams are now positionless, it would seem that puts Doncic and Cunningham in position to be first-team selections when the league releases those teams in the coming days.
The voting process is this: The NBA polls 100 reporters and broadcasters who cover the league and has them select their top choices in various categories. For MVP, voters rank their top five selections in order — and since All-NBA follows the same process, it stands to reason that the same voters would have first-team All-NBA listed in identical fashion to their MVP choices.
That would suggest the All-NBA first team would be MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City, Nikola Jokic of Denver, Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio, Doncic and Cunningham.
Doncic and Cunningham both appeared in 64 games this season. But the league and the National Basketball Players Association both agreed that each should be on the ballot based on the “extraordinary circumstances provision” in the collective bargaining agreement.
Doncic missed two games to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia. Cunningham missed 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17.
Cunningham got two first-place votes in the MVP balloting. He's the first U.S.-born player to get any of those in the last five years.
The last time an American-born player got a first-place vote was 2021, when Stephen Curry got five, Chris Paul got two and Derrick Rose got one.
Jokic finished second in the MVP race, and he joined a pair of Boston Celtics Hall of Famers by doing that in six consecutive seasons.
Jokic won the award in 2021, 2023 and 2024, plus was second in 2022, 2025 and again this year.
Bill Russell won in 1958, 1961, 1962 and 1963, while finishing second in 1959 and 1960. Larry Bird was second in 1981, 1982 and 1983 before winning in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
Jokic has now also received at least one first-place MVP vote in each of the last six years, the longest active streak.
Only Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wembanyama appeared on all 100 ballots cast in the MVP race this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander got 83 first-place votes, 13 second-place votes, three third-place votes and one fourth-place vote.
Jokic got 10 first-place votes, 48 second-place votes, 37 third-place votes, four fourth-place votes and one fifth-place vote.
Wembanyama received five first-place votes, 36 second-place votes, 47 third-place votes, 10 fourth-place votes and two fifth-place votes.
Doncic appeared on 92 ballots and Cunningham was on 59.
The No. 1 pick drought in the MVP race continues.
It’s now 13 consecutive years since a No. 1 draft pick won the MVP award, going back to LeBron James – then of Miami – in 2013. James was ineligible for votes this year because he did not meet the 65-game minimum,
The MVPs, and their draft slot, since his win in 2013:
— Kevin Durant, MVP in 2014, No. 2 pick in 2007
— Stephen Curry, MVP in 2015 and 2016, No. 7 pick in 2009
— Russell Westbrook, MVP in 2017, No. 4 pick in 2008
— James Harden, MVP in 2018, No. 3 pick in 2009
— Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP in 2019 and 2020, No. 15 pick in 2013
— Nikola Jokic, MVP in 2021, 2022 and 2024, No. 41 pick in 2014
— Joel Embiid, MVP in 2023, No. 3 pick in 2014
— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, MVP in 2025 and 2026, No. 11 pick in 2018
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
