The NBA is an increasingly international game – it makes sense that the league’s MVP award is also increasingly international. Seven times has a foreign-born player won the honor since the inaugural MVP in 1956, including six times in the last twenty years. At the time of this writing – April 2022 – the number looks poised to grow at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
This year, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, representing Greece, Cameroon, and Serbia, have seemingly run away with the award. Players like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, or Kevin Durant could come in and muddy the water on the behalf of the Americans, but it’s clear that there are at least three and emphatic MVP candidates born overseas.
Whether from halfway around the world or from just over the border, the international community has produced some of basketballs greatest players, and that trend will only strengthen in years to come. For now, here are the NBA’s foreign-born MVPs.