Unusual MVP streak hugely favors Luka Doncic heading into next season

Since 2019, the NBA has seen an unusual ongoing streak continue.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, NIkola Jokic and Joel Embiid have all won MVP awards.

This means the last six MVP's have gone to non-American players. With Luka Doncic coming off his best season yet as a professional player, he's looking to help extend that streak for the seventh straight year.

Luka Doncic can continue MVP streak of international players

Jokic, Embiid, Antetokounmpo, and Doncic are arguably the four best basketball players in the world. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also in on that conversation.

It was also pretty obvious by the last two months of the regular season that the MVP would be a non-American player once again. After all, the three finalists were Gilgeous-Alexander, a Canadian, Jokic, a Serbian, and Doncic, a Slovenian.

This has been a silent but growing trend in the NBA that more non-American-born players have not just been average players. Instead, they've been some of the greatest in the universe. Victor Wembanyama was as advertised and that name will be thrown around in MVP discussions in the next few years.

Doncic is expected to grow even higher than ever before in the 2024-25 season. He won the scoring title in 2024 and has been selected to the All-NBA First Team five seasons in a row.

Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki knew of Doncic's greatness status right away. Doncic is just too great of a player to not be an MVP one day. One concern will be if Doncic stays active and avoids injury. He's hitting the deck a lot in his young career and will need to be careful if he wants to have a long career.

Doncic's supporting cast will be helping him get that first MVP award. The additions of Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Klay Thompson will be beneficial for Doncic adding to his assist average.

This will also be Doncic's best team since joining the NBA. Making a case for MVP helps when you have a great record. If the Mavs were to finish third or even better in the Western Conference, this could very much help Doncic make his case for MVP, and better yet, continue the streak of non-American MVPs to seven straight seasons.