Special to Sports News Highlights

(SNH) — Are the world’s best basketball players non-Americans?

The National Basketball Association houses the best players in the world. Since 2019 the Most Valuable Players have been Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Jokic, Jokic, Milwaukee’s  Giannis Antetokounmpo and Antetokounmpo.

Jokic is from Serbia and Antetokounmpo is from Greek-Nigerian decent.

Throw in Luka Doncic, from Slovenia, and they are four of the best players in the world.

The last American born player to win the award was James Harden in 2018. Embiid was born in Cameroon.

Former NBA forward “Grant Long, a Detroit Pistons analyst who played 1,003 games for Memphis/Vancouver, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit and Boston, said the world has caught up.

“I think the pendulum has swung as far as the fundamental discipline of basketball,’’ said Long. “What I mean by that is when you talk about the NBA being the best players in the world, you have a three-time MVP (Jokic) who is a foreign player. The last three or four have been foreign players if you go back to Giannis and Joel Embiid. These are all foreign players. The only one to have speed and quickness is Giannis. Everybody else is rather slow, but they all have a very, very strong foundation of fundamentals.

“If you say, ‘have they caught up?’ I say we’ve almost turned the clock back to what is important in basketball, and that is basic fundamentals. Because this is who we are giving the flowers to; those players that have those essential fundamentals. The thing that gets the oohs and ahhs from the crowd at this point aren’t being rewarded.’’

The 6-foot-11 Jokic is the best passing big man in the league. The current MVP averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists per game. Last year he averaged 24.5 and the year before 27.1, nearly averaging a triple-double in those four years.

Doncic, 6-7, has been terrific from Day 1 with scoring averages of 27.7, 28.4, 32.4 and 33.9 this season when he led the league in scoring. He is 25, slow, yet methodical, and can get to any spot on the floor he wants. He was second in the league in assists at 9.8 and has led the Mavericks into the NBA Finals against Boston.

Antetokounmpo, a 6-11 gazelle, had his normal spectacular season with 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 61.1% from the field.

Embiid, a 7-foot center playing on one leg for most of the playoffs, was sensational. He averaged 34.7 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.

He is a big man you can hit a three or abuse you inside. Health issues aside, he’s just as good as the other three.

“Is Jokic the best player in the world?’’ said Long. “I’d say no, and I say that because he is the MVP of what we consider the best players in the world, but that in essence a team award. He is the MVP of this team, not necessarily every team, but his team. No, I don’t think he’s the best player in the world, but he’s a very good player.’’

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