INTERNATIONAL MVP RACE

In Philippine leagues both professional and collegiate, there is a clamor for the Most Valuable Player award to be awarded exclusively to locals.

That's the rule in the PBA, that's why there is a separate Best Import award. In collegiate leagues, the foreign student-athletes (FSA) have dominated. As schools get more funding, the quality of FSAs have improved, and they have since dominated the individual awards in the UAAP and NCAA. It took a while before the UAAP had a local MVP in Kevin Quiambao.

The NBA is an open league, and they did not impose limits on non-American players. Teams could draft and sign as many international players as they want, and all of these players are eligible to win any award (except Rookie of the Year for non-rookies).

The Dream Leads the Way

The first international MVP was Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon in 1994. Hailing from Nigeria, Olajuwon eventually became a US citizen.

Since then, six other MVPs were considered international. Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, Steve Nash of Canada, Tim Duncan of the Virgin Islands, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Nikola Jokic of Serbia, and Joel Embiid of Cameroon.

Duncan and Embiid are US citizens and part of Team USA. Still, it is notable that the last five MVP awards were won by international players, and that trend is likely to continue.

Foreign Invasion

The top candidates for MVP this year are all international. Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic of Slovenia, and Shai Gilgeous- Alexander of Canada.

Even fringe candidates like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo are international, which shows that currently the NBA is dominated by foreign-born players.

It's not just MVP. Frontrunners for Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year are foreigners. Victor Wembanyama of France is the top freshman by a mile, and may also beat out fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert as the top defender.

The trend is likely to continue, as the 2024 NBA Draft is rife with foreign prospects, led by Alex Sarr of France.

Does this mean that the NBA is now dominated by foreign players? Are the Americans no longer dominant? If SGA wins the MVP plum, Canada will be the second country with multiple NBA MVPs, and more milestones are being established.

Basketball is now a global game, and soon, there will be more international coaches. Also, Team USA is no longer a lock for the gold medal, whether in the Olympics or the FIBA World Cup. Proof that Team USA is unsure of their victory is that they naturalized Joel Embiid.

We don't even know how far Wembanyama could go after he is declared top rookie. As the expression goes, sky's the limit for this kid. As of now, there is no American counterpart for Wemby in the pipeline. No one projected to dominate as he does.

But now that it's the playoffs, the most coveted individual awards is the Bill Russell Finals MVP, since that would mean an NBA title. Most of the contenders are led by international players, and personally, I feel we'll be awarding a non-American again.

Defending Territories

While the US has not been defending their basketball dominance, the homecourt teams in the playoffs are making a statement.

Early in the playoffs, the home teams have become upset-conscious. It seems like the predictions have got to them, and they are now playing with chips on their shoulders. All the home teams took their respective series openers.

The New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, both no.2 seeds, took on thrilling victories to take a 2-0 lead. Will the home trend continue, or will the predicted upsets take place?

The LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks took care of business in their Game 1s without their best player. The Bucks were led by Damian Lillard, while the Clippers had efforts from Paul George and James Harden.

This is why you trade for a superstar. It's not for the regular season. That's why they say the playoffs is where you separate the men from the boys.

2024-04-25T03:16:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd