Former NBA star warns: “The best players in the league are all European”
With the likes of Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic expected to challenge Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP honors, where are the American stars?
The 2025/26 NBA season has a record 135 international players signed to rosters, a figure that includes many of the league’s biggest stars.
In recent years Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have all been crowned Most Valuable Player and led their teams to championships. Following behind, Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama are all tipped to achieve great things in their careers. None of them are Americans.
In fact, the most recent American MVP was James Harden in 2017/18, the last in a line of 11 consecutive American winners. The recent European dominance is showing no signs of stopping and former NBA player Brandon Jennings believes that Americans have fallen behind the league’s best players.
"The best players in the league are all European players. We got Luka, SGA, Wemby, Giannis, and Jokic. Who is beating them as Americans."@Tuff__Crowd says the All-Star voting exposes the NBA for becoming an all European league. pic.twitter.com/OlllWowmWI
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) January 8, 2026
Speaking on an episode of the Gil’s Arena show, Jennings said: “I know we have our good American players, the top three best players in the league are all Europeans. The best players in the league right now are five Europeans.”
Jennings continued: “We got Luka, SGA, Wemby, Giannis, Jokic. Who is beating them as an American?”
Aside from mistaking the Canadian Gilgeous-Alexander for a European, Jennings makes a good point. The names expected to be in the mix for MVP honors this year are once again non-American, barring an incredible run from a Cade Cunningham, Stephen Curry or Jalen Brunson.
As the league has become more international the dominant players are increasingly likely to be from overseas. The current run of seven consecutive non-American MVPs may be extended this year but there is no reason to think that an Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson or Jayson Tatum can’t win in the years to come.
Looking at this year’s Rookie of the Year race, college roommates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are tipped to go head-for-head for the first-year award. Both are expected to have big careers in the NBA. Before too long, an American will be crowned the league’s best once again.
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