Luka Doncic is the only player to stake claim to dethroning Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic has comfortably held the crown of the best player in the world for at least five seasons in a row to this point. As the new 2025-26 NBA season approaches, it is finally time for the Denver Nuggets superstar to check for footsteps behind him. Luka Doncic is coming to challenge him.

ESPN recently conducted an offseason survey to cover many topics, including: best and worst summer deals, LeBron James' future, plus more. One of the notable things that stuck out was the conversation of who the best player in the world was.

Jokic received a staggering 19 out of 20 possible votes for that distinction. There was one single player who drew consideration among the decision-makers. That was Doncic.

Tim Bontemps pointed out, "Only a stray one for Doncic separated Jokic from becoming the first unanimous selection for this honor across the seven years the survey has been conducted."

Luka Doncic's ascent up the NBA ladder could take him right to the top

There is no doubt the lone voter to selected Doncic must have been significantly influenced by how ridiculous the Los Angeles Lakers superstar looked when representing Slovenia at EuroBasket 2025. The Slovenian savant carried his national team throughout the competition.

Doncic finished the tournament averaging 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 2.7 steals in only 33.3 minutes per game. Unfortunately for him, that was only good enough to get Slovenia as far as the quarterfinals, losing to the eventual EuroBasket winners, Germany.

Still, Doncic made a clear impression at the competition. His national team would have been helpless without him. The superstar point guard was involved in 54.2 percent of Slovenia's points. That number towered over his peers.

How much of that will carry over to the Lakers in 2025-26? The hopes of those in Los Angeles will be that Doncic can have a similar impact, unless their rooting interest falls with the little brother franchise.

If Doncic can provide the type of basketball brilliance to bring the Lakers to comfortably securing a top three seed in the Western Conference, there is no doubt MVP will be on the table for him. With that comes the conversation of whether Jokic still sits above all others in player rankings.

Doncic came close to really fueling that discussion point in 2024 after a brilliant run to the NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks. However, a loss on basketball's biggest stage halted that momentum.

If the Lakers surprise the NBA and force their way out of a grueling Western Conference to have a chance at a championship, Luka's argument will have some serious legs to stand on. That is especially true especially if that follows a regular season MVP.

One East executive told ESPN of Jokic, "As long as he's walking and breathing, it should be him."

However, the Lakers superstar has every opportunity to dispel that notion in 2025-26. A renewed focus on his body, elevated defensive play, and the success that should follow will make this conversation one worth debating once more.