While the NBA has historically produced some memorable players from outside the United States, it currently boasts one of the most powerful groups of international stars.
In fact, Nikola Jokic just won his third MVP honor, joining awards recently won by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
Meanwhile, the 2023-24 All-NBA First Team included Jokic, Giannis, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rudy Gobert won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award and Victor Wembanyama was runner-up in his rookie season.
A pretty good audience, don't you think?
Wenbanyama's time is coming, but the others mentioned above are all the best international players in the NBA since 2014-15. Longevity and production are important factors, but talent level also comes into play.
Cameroonian Pascal Siakam entered the NBA as a relative unknown, having a standout two-year career at New Mexico State before being selected 27th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.
Siakam earned 15 minutes of playing time during his rookie season and added another five the following season.
And then he exploded.
Siakam was a starter during the 2018-19 season, winning the Most Valuable Player award and helping Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors win the NBA title. Siakam was named to both All-Star and All-NBA for the first time during the 2019-20 season, and later earned a second berth in both categories.
Toronto traded him to the Indiana Pacers during the 2023-24 season after averaging at least 20 points per game for the fifth straight season.
Amid injuries, poor rosters and shaky conditions, Kristaps Porzingis has had a fascinating NBA journey.
An under-the-radar player after being selected fourth overall in the 2015 draft, the Latvian star began his career with the New York Knicks, where he was runner-up for Rookie of the Year and an All-Star selection in his third season.
Unfortunately, a knee injury quickly put an end to that breakout year and ultimately his time with the Knicks.
New York dealt him to the Dallas Mavericks, where he scored well but never seemed to fit in. Dallas sent Porzingis to the Washington Wizards, where he had the best year of his career in 2022-23, before Washington traded him to the Boston Celtics, where Porzingis shot a career-best 51.6% from the field.
Injuries have periodically impacted his career, but Porzingis has consistently produced when available.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's development has been steady and impressive.
After a stellar rookie season, the Los Angeles Clippers traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George.
Canadian native Gilgeous-Alexander has become a superstar in Oklahoma City.
Most notably, SGA has scored over 30 points per game for two straight years, was named to the All-NBA First Team both seasons, made an All-Star appearance and finished in the top five in MVP voting.
Oklahoma City will finish the 2023-24 season atop the Western Conference, with SGA leading the franchise to its first postseason series win in eight years.
Gilgeous-Alexander will likely overtake Rudy Gobert soon, but for now, Gobert's longevity outweighs SGA's recent rise.
The Utah Jazz drafted the Frenchman with the 27th pick in 2013. Gobert didn't play much as a rookie but was impressive in his second year, right at the start of the period we're looking at.
Gobert averaged 2.3 shots saved per game and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He is one of the most respected defenders in the NBA, having been named to the All-Defensive First Team four times and the All-NBA Team four times in seven seasons.
In nine seasons with Utah and two with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he averaged 12.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
Luka Doncic entered the NBA the same season as Gilgeous-Alexander but has a better record of sustained excellence than Gobert.
The Dallas Mavericks star has been active from the start.
The skilled guard from Slovenia averaged 21.2 points per game on his way to winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2018-19. The following year, Doncic averaged 28.8 points, made his first All-Star appearance, finished fourth in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA First Team.
And those feats became routine.
Doncic is an All-Star and All-NBA First Team selection and has finished in the top eight in MVP voting for five consecutive years, averaging a league-leading 33.9 points per game in 2023-24.
Joel Embiid is committed to play for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he grew up in Cameroon.
Embiid was frustratingly talented early in his career, missing two seasons with foot injuries and then playing just 31 games in his third season because of a knee injury.
Injuries continue to be a thorn in Embiid's side, especially in the postseason, but he has developed into an incredibly powerful player.
Embiid is a seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA and three-time All-Defensive selection, and led the NBA in points per game in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Best of all, the two-time MVP runner-up finally gets to hoist the prestigious trophy in 2022-23.
Personally, I wouldn't really argue with putting Nikola Jokic at the top of the list, but “three MVPs” is a solid starting point, you know?
The beloved Serb has transformed into an unforgettable second-round success story, as the Denver Nuggets selected Jokic 41st overall in 2014. He's never been the prototype for an NBA player's build, but he's just a really good, and very productive, player.
Jokic began garnering accolades in the fourth year of his illustrious career in 2018-19, when he was an All-Star, was named to the All-NBA First Team and was named fourth-team MVP.
Now the trophy case is filling up.
Jokic has since been a five-time All-Star and All-NBA selection, three-time league MVP and Finals MVP when the Nuggets won a championship to close out the 2022-23 season.
No matter where you stand on the debate, Giannis Antetokounmpo has already cemented his status as a legendary player.
This resume is great.
Antetokounmpo, a native of Greece, was selected 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and rose to prominence in his fourth season. He continued to improve steadily up until that point, earning an All-Star selection in the 2016-17 season, Most Improved Player of the Year award, and selection to the All-NBA and All-Defensive Second Teams.
Two years later, he won the league MVP award, and the following season, Antetokounmpo won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards before leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title in 2020-21.
The Greek Monster, who will turn 30 in the 2024-25 season, has already been selected to the All-NBA eight times, been nominated for All-Defensive five times, won two MVP awards, one DPOY award and one Finals MVP award.
