Canadian wins NBA MVP, as US shut out again

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May 18, 2026 - 11:13
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Canadian wins NBA MVP, as US shut out again

Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, making it nearly a decade since a US-born athlete has won the award in the US-dominated professional basketball league.

Gilgeous-Alexander — whose Oklahoma City Thunder are vying to defend their NBA championship — won the award for a second year running, cementing foreign-born players’ dominance: The next three-highest vote-getters were Serbian, French, and Slovenian, while the Defensive Player of the Year was French.

The results come with the NBA growing its global footprint, having reportedly received multiple billion-dollar bids for franchises in a proposed European league that could open as early as next year, a far cry from the 1980s when it desperately courted international broadcasters in order to drum up interest.

A chart showing NBA MVP winner by place of birth.
Prashant Rao

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