By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Former NBA veteran center Boban Marjanovic believes that the 2026 MVP marathon will be a two-horse race between his ex teammate Luka Doncic and his fellow Serbian big man Nikola Jokic.
“It’ll be between him [Luka Doncic] and [Nikola] Jokic. One of them will be the MVP,” Marjanovic said to Yahoo Sports.
Marjanovic played alongside Luka at the Mavericks from 2019 to 2022. He’s not surprised to now see him undergoing this kind of body rebuilt.
“Luka is the best,” Marjanovic said. “He’s a hard worker. He loves to work. He’s always in the gym. He always works out. He always competes. This is what he wanted to do. The best for himself. And he’s already the best. All the moves that he’s doing right now are about that.”
“He’s one of the best of the world and I’m not just saying that because he’s my friend,” Marjanovic added. “He’s really that. I know how much effort and work he’s putting on this summer and through all the years we’ve known each other. Full respect to him.”
Asked if the trade from the Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers further motivated Doncic to have a more rigorous summer workout, Marjanovic answered that this is just who the Slovenian superstar is.
“Maybe not, maybe yes. We don’t know what could’ve happened,” Marjanovic mentioned. “I know his mental strength and how he works. You see how he plays for his national team every summer. Even if he’s tired from a full NBA season. He does what does because of basketball. It’s the first love for many of us. And you see it in his eyes, his mindset. How he’s working to accomplish his goals with both his national team and the Los Angeles Lakers.”