International players have made a big impact in the league in recent times, becoming huge figures in the association, changing the way that American players and fans see foreign stars that land in the NBA looking for an opportunity to shine. It’s been a couple of great years for these players, as two Europeans have won the last four MVP awards, while this season, the three finalists for the award were all foreigners. This is a great time for international players and everybody is noticing that.
Recently, Kevin Durant disagreed with a statement suggesting that European players are more skilled than Americans, pointing out that using only Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic as examples is unfair and incorrect since they are anomalies. Still, we’ve watched incredible players from different countries make it to the league recently, and Kevin Love showed appreciation to them, naming three players who are thriving right now and showing why it’s a great time for international ballers.
“Luka was Rookie of the Year in Slovenia, Giannis, MVP from Greece and you have Siakam from Cameroon. What other league can say that?”
Kevin Love shows respect to the rise of international players in the NBA pic.twitter.com/1amucNWJPW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2022
“The world is catching up. A few years ago, I remember Luka was Rookie of the Year Slovenia,” Love said while talking with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report. “Giannis, obviously MVP from Greece, Siakam from Cameroon. What other league can say that?”
Besides these three, Love forgot about Joel Embiid, who played at a great level this year and was second in MVP voting. Nikola Jokic keeps showing his quality, doing impressive things for the Denver Nuggets. These players are the future of the league and regardless of their background, the public has welcomed them with open arms.
More players like Rudy Gobert have earned awards in recent years, and young talents like Josh Giddey and Franz Wagner are already making noise, confirming that this is not the end of international players succeeding and taking over the NBA.
