Luka Doncic Extends International Players’ Reign Over NBA Scoring Title
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LOS ANGELES — March 31, 2026 — Luka Doncic clinched the 2025-26 NBA scoring crown, averaging 33.5 points across 64 games in his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 27-year-old guard’s performance secures the league’s scoring title for an international player for the fifth straight year, a run unprecedented in NBA history.
Five Consecutive International Scoring Leaders
2021-22: Joel Embiid
• Philadelphia 76ers center averaged 30.6 points, the only 30-point scorer that season.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo finished second at 29.9, while then-Dallas guard Doncic placed third with 28.4.
2022-23: Joel Embiid
• Embiid repeated with 33.1 points and captured league MVP honors.
• Doncic was runner-up at 32.4; Damian Lillard ranked third with 32.2, one of the decade’s few American top-three finishers.
2023-24: Luka Doncic
• Doncic earned his first scoring title, pouring in 33.9 points for Dallas.
• Antetokounmpo (30.4) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.1) rounded out the top three.
2024-25: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• The Oklahoma City Thunder guard averaged 32.7 points and won MVP.
• Antetokounmpo again took second (30.4); Nikola Jokic was third at 29.6 with a triple-double average.
2025-26: Luka Doncic
• In his return to the top, Doncic’s 33.5-point average outpaced Gilgeous-Alexander (31.1) and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (28.8).
• Edwards is only the second American to finish top three during the five-year span.
Doncic’s latest achievement continues a remarkable shift in NBA scoring leadership, with stars from Cameroon, Slovenia, Canada and Greece accounting for every title since 2021-22.
Source: LakersNation.com
