In the NBA, the MVP (Most Valuable Player) title is the highest personal achievement that a player can achieve during the season. With the superiority of American basketball, this title largely belongs to players of American nationality.
However, international players are gradually dominating the race to the MVP title. In fact, since 2018, American players have no longer been able to touch this title again.
Who is the last American player to win the MVP title in the NBA?
In the 2017/18 season, James Harden took home the MVP title after an explosive year with the Houston Rockets. He averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.4 rebounds after 72 matches.
However, this was also the last season in which the MVP title belonged to an American player. In the next 2 seasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the owner of this prestigious title. In the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, Nikola Jokic was named for his outstanding performance, while Joel Embiid won MVP of the 2022/23 season.
In the 2023/24 season, this title will likely continue to fall into the hands of foreign players. The performances of Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Luka Doncic (Slovenia)… are still extremely impressive this season.
Which countries have had players win the MVP title?
In the 67 seasons that the NBA began awarding the MVP title, there were 58 seasons where American players were honored in this category. Among them, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the person with the most MVP titles with 6 times.
There are 6 international players who have won the MVP title. Among them, Steve Nash (Canada), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Nikola Jokic (Serbia) were honored twice.
