Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received the NBA MVP award this past Sunday, surpassing other finalists Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić.
This MVP triumph signified Gilgeous-Alexander’s second in a row; his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, is set to face Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals beginning on Monday.
Continued Global Prominence in NBA MVP Honors
This victory prolongs a span of eight seasons without an American-born player claiming the MVP title, a trend that began in 2019. Gilgeous-Alexander (with two MVP awards), Jokić (three), Joel Embiid (one), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (two) have collectively secured all eight MVP trophies during this period.
James Harden stands as the most recent U.S.-native athlete to earn the MVP recognition, achieving this in 2018 while playing for the Houston Rockets. Based on the voting results from the current season, it appears highly probable that this absence of American MVP winners will persist into the next season and possibly beyond.
Each of the three contenders for the accolade originates from outside the United States. Gilgeous-Alexander represents Canada, Wembanayma comes from France, and Jokić’s roots are in Serbia. The Slovenian standout Luka Dončić placed fourth in the ballot count. These four athletes are currently at different points in their peak careers and are anticipated to be significant contenders in future MVP competitions.
The pattern of athletes from other nations dominating the MVP contest is pronounced and historically unparalleled. Before Antetokounmpo clinched the MVP title in 2019, American-born competitors such as Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, and Kobe Bryant collectively secured 11 successive MVP awards in a run stretching back to 2008.
Preceding this period, Dirk Nowitzki (from Germany, 2007) and Steve Nash (from Canada, 2005 and 2006) together earned three straight MVP honors. However, that particular sequence was significantly shorter, and domestically born players were not marginalized in the MVP discourse as they appear to have been in more recent campaigns.
Identifying the Subsequent American-Native NBA MVP
Cade Cunningham, securing fifth place, and Jaylen Brown, in sixth, emerged as the leading American recipients of votes in this season’s count. Together, they garnered two first-place votes, two second-place votes, and five third-place votes, placing them far from the actual competition for the award.
For either player to become a serious contender for the MVP discussion, a substantial improvement in performance would be necessary; moreover, Jayson Tatum, Brown’s teammate on the Boston Celtics, presents a more probable choice to contend for the accolade, assuming he remains in good health.
Kawhi Leonard and Donovan Mitchell concluded the MVP balloting in a tie for seventh position, each receiving just one fifth-place vote.
Cooper Flagg, recently honored as Rookie of the Year, is anticipated to become relevant in future MVP discussions. A forthcoming NBA Draft cohort, showcasing several prominent U.S. athletes like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, possesses the potential to yield multiple MVP hopefuls later on.
Nevertheless, at present, unless and until a U.S.-native player demonstrates a considerable surge in performance (perhaps Anthony Edwards?), the contest for the MVP title is likely to see athletes from other countries at its forefront indefinitely.
