Stephen Smith says foreign players 'can't be the face of NBA'

Victor Petkov

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Last Updated: Feb 20 | 3:28 AM

3 min read

Stephen Smith says foreign players ‘can’t be the face of NBA’

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The NBA pundit shocked with his opinion, given that the MVP award was won by non-US player

Stephen A. Smith’s comments about the face of the NBA being an American-born player have sparked debate, especially given the league’s recent history. His argument centers around the idea that basketball is an American sport and needs to resonate most in the U.S. to maintain its relevance.

“My personal opinion is that I do not believe that a foreign player can be the face of the NBA. I know that they are global icons, their popularity spreads all over the world, but basketball is a sport born in America and it has to resonate in America.”

“If it does not resonate in America, then America will not care how it resonates elsewhere. And that is just my way of thinking. That is how I see it. I am not saying that they cannot be popular or anything like that, but that is just how I look at things,” said Smith.

However, the league’s reality tells a different story. Over the last six seasons, the MVP award has been dominated by international stars:

Nikola Jokić (Serbia) – 3 MVPs
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) – 2 MVPs
Joel Embiid (Cameroon) – 1 MVP

Stephen A. Smith said he doesn’t believe that an international player can be the face of the NBA 👀🗣️ pic.twitter.com/RnT2v88bvu

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The last American MVP was James Harden (2017-18), and the current frontrunner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is Canadian.

Despite this shift, American-born players historically dominated MVP voting, with Dirk Nowitzki (2006-07) being the only international winner in the 25 years before the recent trend.