‘It’s a world game’ now
MVP streak shows impact of international players
LONDON — Maybe it’s the cevapi, or the souvlaki, or the mbanga soup.
Whatever it is, there’s no denying the tinge of international flavor when it comes to the NBA elite with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic now the league’s MVP for a second straight season.
The NBA made the official announcement Wednesday night.
This is the fourth consecutive year that a foreign-born player has been crowned MVP, another first for the NBA.
The Serbian big man beat out two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and the reigning champion Bucks and 76ers center Joel Embiid of Cameroon to mark another first — never before have the top three in MVP voting all been internationals.
The NBA playoffs are loaded with international talent, including Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, the 2019 rookie of the year and EuroLeague champion from Slovenia.
The influx of international talent was former Commissioner David Stern’s vision. He saw the NBA as a global entity and insisted the league be a driving force in growing the game internationally.
“It’s David Stern’s dream,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “Everybody else is good. It’s a world game. It’s no longer just ‘us,’ ... and that’s a good thing.”
The ripple of effect of international players extends well beyond the U.S.
For the basketball-mad countries of Serbia and Greece, the success of Jokic and Antetokounmpo means bragging rights. Antetokounmpo won back-toback MVP awards (2018-19, 19-20), and now the pride of Sombor, Serbia, has matched him.
“We are a country of basketball. This is more proof that we are the best,” said Marko Cosic, who trained a teenage Jokic as strength and conditioning coach. “It is not easy for a country like Serbia with 7 million people to compete with the rest of the world.”
Across NBA Europe’s social media channels, content featuring Antetokounmpo performs 100% better than the average post. Jokic content does 10% better than average.
Subscriber growth for NBA League Pass shows a 17% increase in Serbia, 14% in Slovenia and 9% in Greece this season over last season. It was up 40% in Africa as a whole.
The league has scheduled the Bucks and Hawks to play two October preseason games in Abu Dhabi, marking the NBA’s first games in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.
It’s impossible to overestimate the impact Antetokounmpo has had on Greece. He was born to immigrant Nigerian parents and only acquired a Greek passport shortly before being drafted in 2013.
“Giannis is a hero. He’s a good image of Greece. He’s an ambassador of Greece worldwide,” said Vassilis Skountis, a broadcaster for NBA games on Cosmote TV.
In Greek sports media, there’s soccer, basketball, and Giannis.
In Cameroon and around Africa, where soccer dominates, Embiid is a budding role model, as is Antetokounmpo.
“These kids coming from abroad ... they end up working twice as hard,” said Joe Touomou, associate technical director at NBA Academy Africa. “... That’s why you see those three foreign guys at the top.”
The NBA is helping develop the sport in Africa, opening an academy and partnering with FIBA to run a Champions League-style competition for club teams.
Basketball Without Borders plays a pivotal role, with annual camps showcasing prospects and exposing them to NBA players and coaching.
Embiid was a shy, skinny camper back in 2011.
“Quite frankly, Joel was not the best prospect that we had,” said Touomou, who’s Cameroonian and a friend of Embiid’s family. But he had size, coordination “and he was fearless.”
In the basketball hotbeds of Europe, winning medals for the country is just as important as NBA success — possibly more.
Jokic helped Serbia win silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics but sat out the Tokyo qualifiers last summer, saying he was exhausted. Serbia hosted the qualifying tournament but lost to Italy in the decisive game.
“Whatever issues he has playing for the Serbian team, all parties — the Serbian team, the basketball association and him — they need to work together to try to resolve it,” said Andrija Pavlovic, a basketball-loving Serb who lives in London. “We need him. We’ve had great success in the past. It’s a tradition we’re looking to extend.”