NEW YORK – Tuesday’s NBA draft is considered to be generational, leading a third of the league to tank and commissioner Adam Silver to change the lottery system in an attempt to combat it.
But something that it’s not compared to recent ones? International.
James Harden remains the last American-born NBA MVP, having won the award in 2018. Since then, it has gone to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), among others.
While recent drafts have been headlined by Victor Wembanyama, Zaccharie Risacher, and 11 international players taken in 2025, Tuesday’s has just two players projected to go in the first round.
Michigan’s Aday Mara (Spain) could be the rare senior lottery pick, but Mexico’s Karim López is the real international star of the draft.
