The fall of the NBA MVPs from USA
For decades the NBA MVP was an award exclusively won by Americans, but the recent wave of foreign players winning the award is no new thing.
When the NBA prioritized globalization in the late 80 and early 90′s is this what they had in mind? Sure they wanted to grow the game and inspire generations around the world to be part of the next wave of talent that impacts the league, but did they plan on the rest of the world dominating the MVP title for nearly a half decade?
Nearly all ‘22 MVP candidates from overseas
Look at the favorites to win the Maurice Podoloff this year. According to Las Vegas, four of the top five favorites to be named the league’s best player are from overseas. Three of them are from Europe, and one is from Africa.
Two big men, Nikola Jokic from Serbia, and Joel Embiid from Cameroon are tabbed as the front runners for the award. Giannis Antetokounmpo is also in the running to pick up his third MVP, while Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is a long shot to win his first Most Valuable Player title. The only American currently in the top five of consideration according to the sports books is Devin Booker, who has had a fantastic season for the top teams in the league, the Phoenix Suns, but is a long shot for the award.
The Dream Team made basketball a global sport when the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Patrick Ewing went to the Olympics in Barcelona and captivated the world. Team USA swept through the competition easing to the gold medal but leaving a trail of youngsters around the planet inspired by dazzling performances from the game’s best players.
Hakeem the Dream made history in ‘94
At that time there had been a pinch of foreign influence in the NBA. The first foreign player drafted was Swen Later from the Netherlands in 1973. Then there was a long gap of nearly a decade before another foreign player would be selected in the NBA Draft.
Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted number one overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 draft and Croatian Drazen Petrovic was one of the most promising European players that played for Portland and New Jersey before his tragic death after his best season in the NBA in 1993.
Olajuwon went on to become the first player from outside of the US to be named the NBA MVP in 1994. Before that every award was won by an American, starting with Bob Pettit in 1956. It wouldn’t happen again until Canadian Steve Nash won back to back MVP’s in 2005 and 2006. The next year German Dirk Nowitzki was named the league’s best player.
LeBron and Curry took the award back for USA
The Americans took back control of the award for more than a decade after that, with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry exploding on to the scene. James Harden was the last American to win an MVP with the Houston Rockets in 2018.
Since then the Europeans have stepped back on the the stage with the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo winning back-to-back awards, and Jokic taking the title last year. This year the MVP title could return to Africa for the second time ever if Embiid is able to edge out the rest of the competition.
At the beginning of this season there were 109 International players from 39 different countries, and the game is continuing to grow around the world. The NBA has yet to announce when the MVP award will be announced. Until then the top five candidates will have a chance to strengthen their case to be named the league’s best player.