Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander runs back on defense after making a basket during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Phoenix Suns, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) (Nate Billings/AP)
Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, right, gets called for a foul as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic fields a pass in the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) (David Zalubowski/AP)
Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond, left, tangles with San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, April 6, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) (Darren Abate/AP)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama reacts after being called for his second personal foul in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) (David Zalubowski/AP)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards reacts after hitting a 3-point basket against the Denver Nuggets in the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) (David Zalubowski/AP)
Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might be adding a couple more trophies to his collection. San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama has a shot at doing the same.
And for the eighth consecutive year, the MVP will be an international one.
Gilgeous-Alexander — the reigning NBA MVP — is one of the finalists for this year's top individual honor, along with Denver's Nikola Jokic and the Spurs' Wembanyama, who is also a finalist for defensive player of the year.
The NBA's run of international MVPs started in 2019 and 2020 with Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is of Greek and Nigerian descent. Jokic, a Serbian, won in 2021, 2022 and 2024. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but since became a U.S. citizen, won the award in 2023, and Canada's Gilgeous-Alexander won last year.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
