We have not seen an American MVP for years in the NBA. A fact that nobody would believe twenty years ago, when the level and performance of 'international' players was lower than the best 'Yanquis'. With the award awarded to Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderit's seven years without the American league seeing one of his own (not counting Canada) win Best player of the season.
International figures such as Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Embiid o Gilgeous-Alexander They have monopolized the MVP award. In fact, on this occasion, none of the three finalists on the award was American. A Greek, a Serbian and a Canadian have been the three best players of the season.
Between 1955 and 2018, only two of the winners were not born in the United States. Just Steve Nash, double, and Dirk Nowitzki They broke a different flag on a list full of the same colors. Americans have always led most statistics and rankings of best players in the history of the competition.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA MVP in the 2024-25 season / NBA
The largest streak to date was the one led by Nash y Nowitzki. The Canadian base won two consecutive MVP, In 2005 and 2006, Thanks to its great level leading the Phoenix Suns. A year later, Dirk Nowitzki got the primer MVP European History and left the United States for three consecutive years without the award.
Even so, since 2008 the usual hegemony returned with Kobe Bryant. The monopoly continued with names like LeBron Jameswho won it four years, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant y Derrick Rose. It was then that the year 2018 arrived, which would be the last one in which the United States flag would be at the top.
The last survivor
The MVP of the 2017/2018 seasonand last American so far, It was James Harden. The then Houston Rockets player took the award after beating LeBron James, who was looking for his fifth individual prize and was runner -up with the Cavaliers after falling into the final against the Golden State Warriors.
James Harden, NBA 2018 MVP / Archive
Harden's numbers were incredible: 30.4 points per gamein addition to leading his team at 65 victories, absolute record of the franchise. Only three players in history had averaged more than 30 points per meeting: Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan y Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The importance of international basketball has also been reflected in the NBA draft. In the last two years, the number has been French (For the body y russian), although everything indicates that Cooper Flagg It will return things to 'normality', when chosen by the Dallas Mavericks.
