Nikola Jokic’s Kia NBA MVP a win for hoops-crazed nations outside United States

Maybe it’s the ćevapi, or the souvlaki, or the mbanga soup.

Whatever it is, there’s no denying the tinge of international flavor when it comes to the NBA elite with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic named the league’s MVP for a second straight season. This is the fourth consecutive year that a foreign-born player has been crowned MVP, another first for the NBA.

The Serbian big man beat out two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia center Joel Embiid of Cameroon to mark another first — never before have the top three in MVP voting all been internationals.

The NBA playoffs are loaded with international talent, including Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, the 2019 rookie of the year and EuroLeague champion from Slovenia.

Source: https://www.nba.com/news/nikola-jokics-kia-nba-mvp-a-win-for-hoops-crazed-nations-outside-united-states