Is Nikola Jokic the best international basketball player ever?
Hakeem Olajuwon on Line 1
On Wednesday, to the surprise of no one, Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award for the third time in the last four years.
He is only the 9th player in NBA history to be named the league’s best player at least three times. Jokic has now been chosen as MVP as many times as legends like Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads the way with 6 MVP awards.)
And, at 29 years old, Jokic is right in the heart of his prime — suggesting that he may well have several more seasons at this ultra-elite level in him. Just look at his stats for the last 5 years. They are eye-popping:
In those 5 years, Jokic has averaged 25 points, 8.5 assists and 11.7 rebounds.
It’s a stunning achievement — and one that raises a simple but profound question: Is Jokic, right now, the best foreign-born player ever in the NBA?
Before I answer that question, let’s break down his competition for that title.
Steve Nash
Yes, Nash is Canadian! And, man was he ever a good player. For his career, Nash averaged a little over 14 points a game and 8.5 assists. Nash won back to back MVPs in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons and finished second in voting in the 2006-2007 season. He led the league in assists 5 times in his career.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis, like Jokic, is 29 years old — so he still has years to cement his legacy. But what he’s already done in his 11 years in the league is remarkable: He’s won two MVP awards, a Defensive Player of the Year award and an NBA Finals in 2021.In the last five years, he’s never finished lower than fourth in MVP voting. For his career, he’s averaged 23.4 points and 9.8 rebounds.