An increasingly global league, the NBA’s international presence has only increased each season over the course of the past decade.
With the final stretch of the NBA season in full swing as teams prepare to make a push for the postseason, the end of the season also comes with a coinciding MVP race that ignites fans and media alike in debate.
This year’s MVP race looks to mark a continuation of a trend that began in the late 2010’s and has persisted throughout all of the 2020’s so far – the best player in the NBA is not an American.
As crazy as it sounds and seems, the NBA has not had an American MVP since James Harden won the award as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2017-18 – my senior year in college (I’m turning 30 in a few weeks).
In the time since, the NBA’s international stars have ascended to the league’s highest level of stardom, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have all won MVP awards, with all of the players besides Embiid also winning a championship and Finals MVP in that timeframe.
This year doesn’t appear to be much different, with the Serbia native Jokić looking primed to win his fourth league MVP – a feat that would tie him with LeBron James. Jokić’s closest competition for the award arguably comes from two other international stars – reigning MVP and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as Los Angeles Lakers star and Slovenia native Luka Dončić.
The recent successes of international stars had me wondering just how prevalent they’ve been throughout the league’s history, especially after looking at which U.S. states have produced the most players.
While the vast majority of NBA players in league history have been born in the United States, eleven different countries have produced at least 15 NBA players, while 21 countries have sent at least 10 players to the association.
In perhaps a bit of a surprise, Embiid’s home country of Cameroon and Dončić’s native Slovenia did not make the cut, with both players standing as giants among their country’s limited NBA representation.
It also should be noted that this list only takes a player’s birthplace into account. Similar with my piece on which states have produced the most players, many players attended high school and/or college in a different state or country than the one they were born in.
For example, Tony Parker, despite being a French citizen who was raised in the country, is not listed under France as he was born in Belgium.
Here’s a look at the countries with the most NBA representation over the course of the league’s 80-year history:
1. Canada – 60 players
Notable players: Andrew Wiggins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Rick Fox, Kelly Olynyk
2. France – 48 players
Notable players: Dominique Wilkins, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Victor Wembanyama, Boris Diaw
3. Australia – 35 players
Notable players: Kyrie Irving, Patty Mills, Andrew Bogut, Joe Ingles, Ben Simmons, Josh Giddey
4. Germany – 30 players
Notable players: Dirk Nowitzki, Kiki Vandeweghe, Detlef Schrempf, Carlos Boozer, Dennis Schröder
5. Serbia – 27 players
Notable players: Nikola Jokić, Vlade Divac, Bogdan Bogdanović, Nenad Krstić, Nemanja Bjelica
6. Spain – 20 players
Notable players: Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Wally Szczerbiak, José Calderón, Ricky Rubio
7. Brazil – 19 players
Notable players: Nenê, Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejão, Tiago Splitter, Raul Neto
8. Croatia – 18 players
Notable players: Peja Stojaković, Toni Kukoč, Dario Šarić, Dražen Petrović, Dino Radja
9. Nigeria – 17 players
Notable players: Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Olowokandi, Josh Okogie, Precious Achiuwa, Festus Ezeli
10. Argentina – 15 players (tied)
Notable players: Manu Ginóbili, Luis Scola, Andrés Nocioni, Carlos Delfino, Fabricio Oberto
10. Lithuania – 15 players (tied)
Notable players: Jonas Valančiūnas, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Linas Kleiza
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