The NBA has become a global game because Americans no longer dominate the league. Nowadays, we are seeing MVP winners who are European (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic) for the past four years, and they are even winning NBA titles, as seen by what the Milwaukee Bucks did in 2021. Foreign players no longer have a disadvantage in the league because they are bringing elite skills to the table every night. It is certainly amazing to remember that it has been 4 years since an American captured the league MVP award.
- Only Four International Players Ever Won The MVP Award Before Giannis Antetokounmpo And Nikola Jokic
- Europe Will Dominate The NBA In The Future
- Who Are The Best Players From The USA Right Now?
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But as the seasons go by, more Europeans are having a greater impact on the NBA court. Giannis and Jokic are already established with their 4 combined MVPs, but other stars, including Luka Doncic, are having a significant impact in the NBA as he is also looking for his first MVP award. Credit must go to Joel Embiid, who has proven to be an MVP candidate every night as well. It is important to remember that Embiid has gained French citizenship, and he will play for France, so that might boost Europe’s stock in the league as well. No doubt, the NBA is slowly becoming a European-led league, and history is speaking for itself when looking at recent winners and past MVP winners.
Only Four International Players Ever Won The MVP Award Before Giannis Antetokounmpo And Nikola Jokic
Before Giannis and Jokic won MVP awards in the last four years, only four international players managed to win an MVP award in NBA history. That is right, only FOUR. The first was Hakeem Olajuwon, a Nigerian-born superstar who won the MVP award in 1994 when he averaged 27.3 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 3.7 BPG as a member of the Houston Rockets. Unsurprisingly, Hakeem led the Rockets to the NBA championship at the end of the year.
The second player to do it was Tim Duncan, who originates from the U.S. Virgin Islands, and while he played for Team USA, he seems to be loyal to the Virgin Islands. Taking Tim Duncan into account, he won back-to-back MVP awards in 2002 and 2003 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan averaged 25.5 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in 2002 and posted 23.3 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 2.9 BPG in 2003. Duncan led the Spurs to the championship in 2003 at the expense of the New Jersey Nets.
The third non-American to win the MVP award was Steve Nash, who also won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, the Canadian superstar averaged 15.5 PPG and 11.5 APG while leading the league in assists and coming close to shooting 50-40-90 from the floor. The following season, the Phoenix Suns superstar posted 18.8 PPG and 10.5 APG while leading the NBA in assists and also shooting 50-40-90 from the field.
Finally, Dirk Nowitzki followed Nash by winning the league MVP in 2007 when he averaged 24.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG for the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk was sensational all year, shooting 50.2% from the field and leading the Mavericks to a 67-15 record in the Western Conference. Armed with the one-legged fadeaway, Dirk took over the NBA and deserved his MVP award as a German national.
Amazingly, only four non-American-born stars managed to win the MVP award before Giannis and Jokic did it in back-to-back fashion, starting in 2019 until 2022. Giannis did it in 2019 and 2020, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA each time and even capturing the Defensive Player of the Year trophy in 2020. A Greek-born star who originates from Nigeria, Giannis deserved both his MVP trophies. After, he was a one-of-a-kind center in Nikola Jokic.
Nikola Jokic won league MVP in 2021 when he averaged 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.3 APG, and 0.7 BPG as a member of the Denver Nuggets. The center put up historical numbers for a center and he guided the Denver Nuggets to a solid 47-25 record which was good for third in the Western Conference. In 2022, Jokic did it again when he posted even better numbers at 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 0.9 BPG while shooting 58.3% from the field. Analytics supported Jokic’s run for the MVP award, as he became the 6th non-American-born star to win the MVP award.
Clearly, Europeans are running the NBA, as the last four MVP awards have gone to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. But do Americans have a chance to break that streak and own their own league again? Well, who are the top American stars right now and in the future?
Europe Will Dominate The NBA In The Future
As of this season, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the biggest favorites for the MVP award. Jokic is posting incredible numbers once again for the Denver Nuggets, averaging 25.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 9.5 APG as he nears a triple-double as a center. He would be the first to ever do it, and he might be the first player since Larry Bird to win 3 straight MVP awards. Giannis is also doing his thing by averaging 32.1 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 5.2 APG for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Going forward, these two stars, who are both under 29 years old, will continue to be legitimate MVP candidates as we head toward 2030. Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic are also MVP candidates, although they might have fallen behind Jokic and Giannis because team success and individual impact are taken into account. Tatum is a massive threat to win the MVP award at least once over the next few years, and so are Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. But as mentioned, can those three American stars usurp the likes of Giannis, Jokic, and Doncic?
Luka Doncic has yet to win an MVP award, and he will capture it at least once over the next few years. The Slovenian is in the mix by posting 34.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 8.9 APG for the Dallas Mavericks this year and will make his 4th straight All-Star Team appearance. Make no mistake, if and when Doncic wins his first MVP award, he will likely win it again to solidify his Hall of Fame status.
To be fair to other players, Joel Embiid will manage to win at least one MVP award because it is only a matter of time. There was staunch support for Joel Embiid, a French citizen, last year when he lost out the MVP award to Nikola Jokic because he led the NBA in scoring at 30.6 PPG and carried the Philadelphia 76ers all year long. As the most talented offensive center in the NBA, Embiid is overdue for an MVP award, and he will get at least one.
Perhaps most importantly, Victor Wenbenyama is coming. The talented French prospect will be legible for the 2023 NBA Draft and is already touted as one of the best young players in NBA history. The center is incredibly lengthy and skilled, meaning he can do everything on the basketball court with ease. In this era of NBA basketball, where spacing and finesse are key, Wenbenyama’s skillset translates perfectly.
Specifically, some scouts are already placing heavy emphasis on Victor’s game by claiming he could be the greatest player to have ever played the game. Standing 7’2” with an incredible wingspan, Wenbenyama can block shots out of thin air and has the size to shoot over any defender with ease. He will be 19 years old very soon, meaning he has at least 15 years at a star level once he hits the NBA court. Out of all the European players that have strong MVP chances every year, Victor Wenbenyama has the highest ceiling.
Who Are The Best Players From The USA Right Now?
The top veteran stars in the NBA originating from America are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. LeBron James already has 4 MVP awards to his name, and at age 38, playing for a bad Los Angles Lakers team, the chances of him winning his 5th award are slim to none. LeBron James has had an incredible run as a top player in the NBA, and while he is still going strong, posting 28.5 PPG so far this year, he can’t compete with the younger stars in the game today for the MVP award.
Kevin Durant is in his prime, still at age 34, but he is also getting older, and his MVP chances are getting smaller every year. He might have his best chance this year as he is posting 29.7 PPG on 56.1% from the field, but the Brooklyn Nets have alienated most media and fans members with the amount of negative attention they have drawn (mainly because of Kyrie Irving). Regardless, Durant has a strong chance to win the MVP award this year, but his chances won’t be as high in the coming years.
Of course, Stephen Curry is also getting older as he nears 35 years of age, and he will likely pace himself in the regular season going forward rather than going for the MVP award. Once a player hits 35, the goal is always winning NBA championships rather than regular-season achievements, and Curry already has back-to-back MVPs that he won in 2015 and 2016 as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
So who are the Americans who have the best chances for the MVP awards going forward? Ja Morant is one, and while he is doing incredible things at age 23 years old, his chances for the award will depend on if he can continue to guide the Memphis Grizzlies to the top seed in the Western Conference. Ja must also stay healthy enough to have strong chances at winning MVP.
Jayson Tatum is another young star who seems like an MVP candidate going forward, but is he truly on the level of Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid? Tatum is playing like it this year, but can he overcome those guys for the MVP award? Tatum’s scoring is incredibly great, but he needs to prove the demons in the form of the Golden State Warriors can be put to bed in the regular season and the playoffs to get the narrative on his side.
Zion Williamson, likely a two-time All-Star this year, will have an MVP chance going forward every year as he continues to lead the New Orleans Pelicans franchise. An elite inside finisher and improving all-around player, Williamson is only 22 years old, but weight and health issues have slightly held him back since the start of his career. Unless Zion can keep healthy and in perfect shape, he is at risk of missing out on some valuable individual achievements.
Once Victor arrives in the NBA as a superstar and Giannis, Jokic, Doncic, and Embiid continue to dominate, there is little room for American stars to prosper. Unless Zion Williamson can become the face of the NBA like many predict he can be, we could be living in a European world, and there might be nothing American stars can do about it.
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