Domantas Sabonis finishes within top 10 of NBA MVP voting

May 9, 2024, 7:56 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after making...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Although the Sacramento Kings fell one win short of clinching an NBA Playoff berth, Domantas Sabonis has received some love in NBA awards voting.

Last week, Sabonis finished 12th in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, receiving one third-place vote. This week, Sabonis secured the same result for the NBA MVP Award, finishing within the top ten thanks to one third-place vote.

Sabonis, who finished seventh in the MVP race one year ago, came in at eighth in this season’s voting results, finishing ahead of Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic took home his third career MVP award after receiving 79 first-place votes.

For Sabonis, the back-to-back top-ten NBA MVP finishes act as a reminder of his impact on this Kings team, as the big man just put the finishing touches on one of the best seasons of basketball from a center that the game has ever seen.

Over 82 games, Sabonis averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds (1st in NBA), and 8.2 assists (6th in NBA) per game on 59 percent shooting from the field. The 27-year-old led the league in double-doubles (77) and triple-doubles (26) and clinched his second-straight rebounding title.

Along with leading the league in rebounds, rebounds per game, double-doubles, and triple-doubles, Sabonis’ 673 assists (career-high) placed him fourth in the NBA, only behind Tyrese Haliburton, Luka Doncic, and Jokic.

Sabonis also finished fourth in win shares (12.6), with Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexader, and Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of him.

Posting 19-13-8 is a rare feat for NBA players. Sabonis’ 2023-24 season made him just the second player in league history to post those numbers of better, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68) as the only other person to do so.

Since being acquired by Sacramento in 2022, Sabonis has been a force for the Kings, averaging 19.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists over 176 games. Sabonis has already jumped into the top-ten on the Sacramento era (1985-present) rebounding leaderboard, coming in at tenth with 2,278 rebounds.

While the Kings’ big man deserved more recognition for his impressive season–remember, he wasn’t an All-Star, either–Sabonis surely has his eyes on more than personal accolades in 2024-25 as Sacramento looks to jump back into the postseason.

Full 2023-24 NBA MVP voting results

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?

For the first time in two years, the Sacramento Kings will be crossing its fingers for luck during the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery will be held on Sunday, May 12, 2024, in Chicago, where Sacramento will have the 13th-best odds of securing the top pick.

How the Lottery works: The 14 teams that missed out on the NBA playoffs are eligible for the Draft Lottery. The final odds were determined after the regular season, and tie breaks were settled between teams with identical regular season records.

NBA Offseason Schedule