Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid have become household names in recent years when discussing the NBA's Most Valuable Player award.but The success of foreign players has somewhat overshadowed the talent from the birthplace of basketball.. With no clear American candidates for the prestigious individual award this season, there has been much discussion about what went wrong or mistakes made by the American coaches.
The following paragraphs pay tribute to the last American-born player to win the James Harden Award.. After several below-average seasons with the 76ers, he found a new environment in which he thrived with the Clippers. The Clippers have had a successful season and are close to qualifying for the playoffs.
James Harden – the last US MVP
2017 James Harden signs a six-year contract extension with the Houston Rockets worth $228 million guaranteed.. Harden had a phenomenal season, scoring a career-high 56 points in November and was named Western Conference Player of the Month five times. He set many records, including scoring at least 20 points in 30 consecutive games, breaking Karl Malone's previous record. Harden missed seven games with a hamstring injury on Dec. 31, but returned even stronger, scoring a triple-double with 60 points and breaking Houston's single-game scoring record. On March 25, he led the Rockets to their first 60-win season in franchise history, finishing the regular season as the No. 1 seed with a team-best 65-17 record.
James Harden had a strong performance in the playoffs, scoring 40 points in six games.r. Scored 44 points in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves and 41 points in the second round against the Utah Jazz. He scored 41 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, but the Rockets lost 119-106. He scored 30 points in Game 4, helping the Rockets win 95-92, but in Game 6, he scored 32 points, but the Rockets lost 115-86. Despite Harden scoring 32 points in Game 7, the Rockets struggled from the 3-point line, making only 2 of 13 attempts and were eliminated from the playoffs.
In June, James Harden was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2017-18 season, making him the third player in franchise history to be named the NBA Most Valuable Player, joining Moses Malone (1978-79, 1981-82) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94). He became an award winner. That same month, he was named the National Basketball Players Association's MVP for the 2017-18 season, earning him the honor for the second time.
