this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2023
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The best player in the NBA has been American forever. But since Giannis took over, the best player has not been American. The up and coming players with the potential to take the throne (Luka, Wemby) aren’t American either.

Why do you think this is the case? Who will be the next American player to become the best player in the NBA?

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[–] FatherHaz@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Give_me_soup@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Because tribalism is genetically instilled in us and thereby nationalism and xenophobia are commonplace.

[–] the_greasy_one@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They're US citizens now... checkmate.

[–] CuriousTurtle5@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Is Giannis a US citizen?

[–] JimmyWasRight@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Anthony Edwards is the only hope against these immigrants

[–] LoxDnw@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

We're doomed then lol.

[–] crimxona@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Embiid won the last MVP and is playing for USA as an American. This is your point isn't it?

[–] Collin_G420@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

he meant birth country not citizenship

[–] whooopseee@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The US has about 4% of the population of the world. As the game gets more global it's more than likely that the best player in the world isn't an American.

[–] spellman1969@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Purple_Apartment@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Is this a new trend I am missing on reddit? People saying "lmao what" to perfectly reasonable statements? I have seen this so much recently

[–] HokageEzio@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I don't know why a Warriors fan would need to be told that Steph had an argument for the best player in the world for the past few years despite his team seeding.

[–] JKaro@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] nomitycs@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

2022 Steph is where it’s at

Jokic took over this year, Giannis gets the year prior

[–] everyoneneedsaherro@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Hot take Steph has been the best player in the nba since 2016 until this year when Jokic took that title

[–] DisastrousSummer3405@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] everyoneneedsaherro@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Only debatable part is KD was better than him in those Warriors years. It was close but I’d personally take Curry the way he changes the entire game on offense is unprecedented

[–] n0th1ng10@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It’s only a matter of time before Tatum is the best player in the world.

[–] shomerudi@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It could happen, but very unlikely.

[–] n0th1ng10@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Not unlikely at all. Leads his team on deep runs every single year, was an ankle sprain away from the finals again. Not a hole in his game. Gets better every single year. Now that he has a legit pg in Jrue, who avg 9 apg in the 2021 playoffs and has won a chip, he will only become more efficient bc his shot quality will improve. Only a matter of time.

[–] EnoughLawfulness3163@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago
[–] Skinnecott@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

steph is the best

[–] Disastrous-Object22@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What I think is interesting about this trend is that the last 3 MVPs have been foreign big men with skills or athleticism that very few big men possess. The ridiculous percentage of US 7 footers who make the NBA - and the associated lack of talent that you get from such a tiny sample size - has been a point of discussion for a long time (Pablo Torre has the exact percentage somewhere). I wonder if what we're seeing with the international growth of the game is a significant deepening of the talent pool of very tall men. I also wonder if it has anything to do with how players are developed in the US. AAU is probably a crime against basketball, but that hasn't stopped plenty of great American players from developing of course. Has it done harm specifically to centers maybe? The traditional American "unicorn" player is a guy like AD, who famously has his skills because he was a guard until he hit a late growth spurt. If he was 6' 6" by 8th grade would he still have those skills? What if he had developed in the European club basketball system? I have no clue what the answers are, but it's a lot of fun to watch the international players coming in.

[–] Spillmatic97@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

People in the youth basketball world talk about it all the time.

Youth basketball has become so much about money, and making a kid into a star that they can profit off of, a lot of kids don’t even get a chance to become good in the AAU system. The kids whose parents pay the most money and have the physical gifts early get priority.

[–] NbaKOLeWorld@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (3 children)

KD was the best player in 2021

[–] referee-superfan@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

He was unreal in that bucks series. It was fun to watch.

[–] Dar8_Vader@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Ahaah good thing he has a ring that season to show for it.

[–] achyutthegoat@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago
[–] spellman1969@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

The standards for American born players are just harder, they all have to live up to Jordan, while euro players get to slide on by with the bare minimum.

[–] inshamblesx@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Never again

[–] BLIZZARDFACE@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Who cares? It's a global game now. USA can't even medal at FIBA. What's next, why aren't more American white guys winning MVP?

[–] identitycrisis56@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I’ll be willing to bury America if they lose the Olympics. FIBA has never been big in America. I literally had no idea it was happening until like 3 games in.

[–] dash_44@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Lol you guys are obsessed with this

[–] stonkerooni@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Pretty sure Devin Booker is American

[–] YayoBankroll@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Best player is subjective because you guys don't value advanced stats or factor them in.

So that leads to changing criteria from year to year and player to player.

So someone could easily say Curry was the best player in 2022.

[–] Alone-Quality8996@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

The Ant-Man cometh.
Soon.

[–] Emera1dthumb@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Since the NBA is based out of US, and most of the players end up, living here, I would say we still do