It’s been a while since the last American most valuable player, as the NBA landscape evolved in many ways seeing international competitors excel in modern skills.
NBA veteran Nicolas Batum talked about how the league is currently run by the international players, such as Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama, who are the best players in today’s era.
“If you look at the best players, the five best players are all international. Jokic, Luka, SGA, Wemby, Giannis…I can give a debate. Those guys are the five best players in the NBA. And they’re all non-American,” Batum told TalkBasket.net.
Batum emphasized that it was highly different from his prime years, where Americans like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were obviously the best players, despite Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash obtaining an MVP award.
“And so, yes, when I got there, I knew Dirk was there in MVP. Nash got the MVP already, but, you know, the best of the best was Kobe or LeBron, D-Wade, like Dwight, guys like that. Now, there’s no debate. Like, the last American MVP was James [Harden] in 2018,” he added.
The French star witnessed different eras from the time he came and now with his french teammate Wembanyama, being the face of the league.
“It’s been a while., I think the American rules and run basketball still, like, overall. But individually, the best players right now in the world are non-Americans. So, I think this is the difference from when I got there 20 years ago.”
The 37-year-old forward came into the NBA back in 2008 with first round 25th overall pick, and is still contributing efficiently with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Prime Video’s exclusive live coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs tips off on 4th June at 1.30am in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
