Visualization 05
Global Superstars
The NBA MVP (Most Valuable Player) is voted on each season by sports writers and broadcasters. It goes to the player considered the best in the league that year. In the early 2000s, nearly every MVP winner was born in the USA. That has changed a lot. Explore how many players from outside the United States have joined the NBA since 2004, and see which seasons had an international MVP winner.
The NBA has 30 teams with 15 roster spots each, about 450 players total. International players have gone from roughly 1 in 6 (17%) to nearly 1 in 3 (30%) of all players.
The last 7 MVP awards have all gone to international players, the longest streak in league history.
Season with an international MVP winner
Then vs now
How much has international presence changed?
Bar sizes may not be to scale.