By: Sophie Li

Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic are the finalists for the NBA’s 2023-24 regular season MVP. Coming from Serbia, Canada, and Slovenia, none of them are American. In fact, the last six MVP trophies have gone to overseas players.

It’s part of a growing trend of non-American players slowly “invading” the NBA. In 1990, there were 12 European Players in the entire league, and now there are 64.

In the most recent draft, five of the top twelve picks were European, with Frenchmen Zacchaire Risacher and Alex Sarr selected at No. 1 and No. 2.

In addition, Germany is the reigning champion of the World Cup.

“I just think European players are just way more skillful,” said Kobe Bryant to ESPN’s Arash Markazi. “They are just taught the game the right way at an early age.” Kobe had spent much of his childhood playing in Europe.

Young American players spend much of their middle and high school careers participating in AAU tournaments. However, these games do increase skill. Coaches do not prioritize development over winning, and many players may be left with little time on the court. Players also tend to train based on their position, inhibiting versatility.

“[AAU basketball] doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don’t know how to post. They don’t know the fundamentals of the game,” said Bryant.

European basketball is the opposite.

“The Europeans, generally, are not better athletes than their American counterparts, but they are more skilled all-around players that play together very well,” said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas.

This is due to extensive skill development that all players must undergo. Team basketball and defense are the focus of European-style play. As a result, players develop a high basketball IQ, off-ball skills, and strong team defense. This is what lets them succeed at such a high level.

“In America, it’s a big problem for us because we’re not teaching players how to play all-around basketball. That’s why you have Pau and Marc [Gasol], and that’s the reason why 90 percent of the Spurs’ roster is European players, because they have more skill,” says Kobe.

If America does not fix its system of training young players, they will continue to fall behind their European counterparts.