With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander officially being named as the MVP this year, it continues a very interesting trend of NBA superstars. Since 2019, every single MVP winner has come from overseas, marking seven straight years that a non-American has received the award.
Starting with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he went back-to-back after James Harden in 2018. He was followed by Nikola Jokic in 2021 and 2022, with Cameroon native (and French citizen) Joel Embiid winning the award in 2023. Jokic captured his third MVP last year before Canadian shooting guard SGA became the latest winner.
This period marks the longest stretch in NBA history during which an American player has not won the MVP, seconded only to the mid-2000s, when Steve Nash won two straight, leading into Dirk Nowitzki's MVP in 2007.
It's no secret that international talent has been rising across the NBA. Thanks to Adam Silver and the NBA office's efforts to globalize the game, more and more athletes began to pour in from overseas as the younger generations kept getting better and better. Slowly but surely, the international talent began to overshadow the American, home-grown talent until we reached the point we're at now.
Between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama, most of the game's top players were not born in the states, and it begs the question: has the USA lost its advantage in the basketball world?
During previous eras, the USA was always unbeatable when it came to basketball, but the balance of power has begun to shift in favor of Europe, where countries like Serbia, France, and Greece are producing some of the NBA's best prospects right now.
While there's nothing wrong with international players dominating the NBA scene, most NBA fans are American, and they can relate better to a star who originated in their country. With that criterion, the candidates are somewhat limited, but there are still a few players who can break the cycle and bring glory back to the USA.
One such player is Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. While he denied any desire for a role as the face of the NBA, Edwards will be in the spotlight if he manages to win his first championship this season, and fans will instantly gravitate toward him as the best American player.
There's also Celtics star Jayson Tatum. He's finished near the top in MVP voting several times already, but he'll be out for the next full season at least to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Despite the injury, Tatum still has the potential to win MVP someday if he can return to full strength on the court.
It's impossible to predict when this trend will end, but it could be a while before we see another American MVP. With so much talent from all corners of the globe, basketball is no longer America's sport, it's a worldwide activity that has brought a whole new wave of athletes to the NBA scene.
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