NBA MVP Winners Born Outside of the United States: Joel Embiid Joins the List

• Six NBA players born outside the United States have won the Most Valuable Player award
• Steve Nash, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic were voted MVPs back-to-back
• Joel Embiid joined Hakeem Olajuwon as the only African-born players to win the award

Joel Embiid made history on Tuesday, becoming the sixth NBA player born outside the United States to win the Most Valuable Player award.

The Philadelphia 76ers center received 73 first-place votes and amassed 915 total points to capture the league’s top individual honor.

To celebrate Embiid’s historic win, Sports Brief takes a look at the NBA’s foreign-born MVP winners.

Hakeem Olajuwon (1994, Nigeria) 

Olajuwon was the first international star to win the MVP award. He started his NBA career in 1984 when the Houston Rockets drafted him as the first overall selection.

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The Dream reached the mountaintop in 1994, winning an NBA title with the Houston Rockets.

He made history, becoming the first player in the NBA to be named Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season (1993-94).

Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 3.6 assists per game in his MVP season.

Steve Nash (2005, 2006, Canada) 

Nash started his NBA career in 1996 when the Phoenix Suns drafted him with the 15th overall selection. He lasted just two seasons with the Suns, who traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998.

He established himself as one of the NBA’s top point guards during his time in Dallas, leading the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals in 2003.

Surprisingly, the Mavericks couldn’t lock him up to a long-term deal, with Nash making a shock return to Phoenix in 2004.

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His career took off during his second stint with the Suns, with the Canadian star thriving in Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo style of basketball, per USA Today.

Nash became the second international player to win the MVP award in 2005, averaging 15.5 points and 11.5 assists per game during that season.

He made history in 2006, becoming the first foreign-born player to win the MVP award in back-to-back seasons.

Nash averaged 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game in the 2005-06 season, leading led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals in both MVP seasons.

Dirk Nowitzki (2007, Germany)

Nowitzki became the third international star to win the MVP award, taking home the top honor in 2007.

He averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in his MVP year, helping the Mavs win a franchise-record 67 games in the regular season.

Nowitzki became the fifth player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club.

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The German star shot 50.2% from the field, 41.6% from beyond the arc, and 90.4% from the free throw line in the 2006-07 season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019, 2020, Greece)

Antetokounmpo started his NBA career in 2013 when the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him with the 15th overall selection.

His career took off in the 2016-17 season when he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. He also was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team and All-NBA second team that season.

Antetokounmpo won the league’s top individual honor in 2019, capturing the MVP trophy after averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game that season.

He matched Nash’s achievement in 2020, becoming the second foreign-born player to win back-to-back MVP awards.

Antetokounmpo improved on his numbers the previous year, averaging 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game in the 2019-20 season.

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The Greek Freak made history in 2020, joining Michael Jordan and Olajuwon as the only players to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year during the same season.

Nikola Jokic (2021, 2022, Serbia) 

Jokic started his NBA journey in 2014 when the Denver Nuggets drafted him in the second round with the 41st overall selection.

He began his NBA career in the summer of 2015, one season after he was drafted.

It didn’t take long for Jokic to establish himself as one of the league’s top centers, averaging a double-double in the 2017-18 season with 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds.

He won the NBA’s top individual honor in 2021 after averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game that season.

Jokic matched Nash and Jokic’s achievements in 2022, becoming the third international player to win back-to-back MVP trophies.

The Serbian improved on his numbers the previous year, averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in the 2021-22 season.

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Joel Embiid (2023, Cameroon)

Embiid finally won the MVP award after finishing runner-up to Jokic in 2021 and 2022.

He dominated the voting after averaging a league-best 33.1 points per game this season. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game this campaign.

Embiid joined Olajuwon as the only African-born players to win the league's top individual honor.

Sixers rally past Celtics

Sports Brief also reported on the Sixers' win over the Celtics in Game 1 of their playoff series.

Philadelphia superstar, Embiid was ruled out of the series opener because of a knee injury.

James Harden stepped up in his absence, scoring 45 points in Philadelphia's 119-115 win.