CLEVELAND — Tell a random NBA executive or even a plugged-in fan that Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden is the last American to win the league’s MVP award, and the first response isn’t debate — it’s disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“No way.”

Then comes the pause. The mental recall. And the realization that, somehow, it’s true.

“I guess I haven’t been paying much attention, because that’s shocking,” said Chet Mason, an assistant coach for USA Basketball junior national team since 2019.

It may sound like a random bit of trivia, but it’s not a coincidence. It’s a shift.

Since Harden won the MVP in 2018 as a member of the Houston Rockets, the trophy has gone international, claimed by a quartet of players who didn’t spend their early development in America.

Different styles. Different paths. Similar dominating results. 

What was once an American stronghold is now an international race — and it hasn’t been close. And the streak will likely continue when the NBA announces this year’s MVP, which is a three-man race between Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic and France’s Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old expected to be in the MVP race for years to come.

This isn’t surprising for those inside the game, because the momentum has been building. 

It’s more than a streak. It’s a reflection of where the game is headed. The MVP, once dominated by American stars, is now becoming an international showcase driven by a different developmental path. Versatility has taken center stage over the scoring focus that defined American MVP campaigns of prior eras.

The change didn’t happen overnight. It’s been a slow build — one draft class, one prospect at a time. Many international players entered the league skilled and polished.

“The skill level worldwide is just different now,” said Mason, who’s also the head coach at a Cleveland suburban high school. “These kids are being developed earlier. They’re more versatile.”

Mason, who played overseas for more than a decade, said many international players grow up in professional club systems where fundamentals, spacing and team concepts are emphasized at a young age, which gives them an edge over some of their American counterparts.

Here’s the MVP list since Harden won in 2018:

• Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019 (27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 57.8 FG%) and 2020 (29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 55.3 FG%).
• Serbia’s Jokic in 2021 (26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 56.6% FG), 2022 (27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 58.3% FG) and 2024 (26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 58.3% FG)
• Cameroon’s Joel Embiid in 2023 (33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 54.8 FG%).
• Canada’s Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025 (32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 51.9 FG%).

Many in league circles saw this coming.

“They all deserved it, and they won the MVP because that’s how the game is being played now,” one longtime NBA scout said. “Now, it’s about shooting 3s and playing a more open game. That’s always been the international game.”

Mason said there’s more of an emphasis on practice and skill development internationally. The international youth get the opportunity to practice and learn with professional players. Youth are taught to play multiple positions and multiple skills, which is attractive to voters. 

“The skill level of international players is different,” Mason said. “You have a center in Jokic who’s averaging a triple-double. That’s different. The way [America] is trying to conform with some of the European style of play matches what Jokic does very well.”

The shift isn’t just happening on the court. MVP voters have slid away from focusing on scoring titles to leaning more toward a criteria of efficiency, advanced metrics and overall impact on winning.

For example, Jokic, a center, is the Denver Nuggets’ primary playmaker. Antetokounmpo influences games on each end, and Embiid scores and protects the rim. 

“We’re now more of a wide-open game,” the scout said. “We’re pretty much an international game now. But at least Shai has an old-school style to his game. He has a midrange game, so I have to give him credit for that.”

Harden, who averaged 30.4 points and 8.8 assists per game when he won the award, said the world is catching up.

“It’s always been a global game, now more than ever,” Harden told ESPN’s Andscape. “The game has evolved and the talent across the world is just getting better. And that’s not a knock on what American players aren’t doing. International players are evolving.”

Harden’s MVP season was in an era built on isolation scoring, high usage and offensive dominance. Today’s game values versatility.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who played more than five seasons in France and also served as a consultant for the French national team in the 2024 Olympics, was asked what it will take for the American MVP drought to end.

“I don’t know if it’s that simple,” Atkinson said. “You’d hope winning still drives it — that’s the bottom line. But there are a lot of factors. Advanced analytics play a part now, no question. And then it becomes: What style do you like? Some people like one style, some people like another. I don’t know exactly how the media weighs all of it, but that all goes into it.”

So here’s the question: Which American will snap the streak?

Harden picks Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards because of his versatility as a scorer and defender. The anonymous NBA scout said it may take longer for the drought to end.

“We may have to wait for [Dallas Mavericks forward and 2026 Rookie of the Year] Cooper Flagg or someone in this upcoming draft like AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson or Darryn Peterson,” the scout said. “But it all comes down to what style of play the MVP voters favor.”

The NBA first awarded MVP honors in 1956, and prior to the current streak, the list of foreign-born winners was relatively short. Nigeria’s Hakeem Olajuwon became the first in 1994, followed by Canada’s Steve Nash in 2005 and 2006, and Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki in 2007.

Back then, it seemed an anomaly; Americans won the next 11 MVPs, capped by Harden’s in 2018.

Eight seasons later, an international MVP has become the norm.

Until the trend shifts, the identity of the last American winner will continue to catch people off guard.

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