The NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award is a new one that is only two years old. It is given to the player who “best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.” The winner receives the Jerry West trophy, named after the Lakers legendary guard who garnered the nickname “Mr. Clutch.”
Coaches actually nominate a group of players to be eligible for the award from which media members choose the winner. With the regular season over, that group has now been revealed and of course the Lakers have a pair of players eligible.
According to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, Lakers superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James have both been named as finalists for the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award:
The official candidates for Clutch Player of the Year, as chosen by the NBA’s 30 head coaches:
Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
De’Aaron Fox, Spurs
DeMar DeRozan, Kings
Derrick White, Celtics
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers…— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 15, 2025
Over the years, some have called into question LeBron’s “clutch gene,” but he was outstanding for the Lakers in what the NBA defines as clutch, which is the final five minutes of a game with the score within five points.
James appeared in 34 contests that fall under that category, scoring 87 points and shooting 51.8% from the field, 39.3% from 3-point range and 81.8% from the free throw line, all excellent numbers. Doncic’s numbers and efficiency weren’t at that level, but his propensity to take and make big shots in big moments undoubtedly earned him a spot as one of the candidates.
Neither James or Doncic is expected to take home the hardware, though both would certainly rather bring the Lakers an NBA Championship than an individual award. New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is the favorite to bring home the award with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic believed to be in the running as well.
Regardless of whether they bring home the Clutch Player of the Year award, there is no denying the popularity of the Lakers’ superstar duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
That was never more apparent than the NBA announcing the most viewed players across all social media platforms with James ranking at the top of the list by a large margin. Doncic, meanwhile, ranked third on the list with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry coming in second.
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