5 American players with the best shot at winning Kia MVP in 2025

The best players in the game? Americans. That’s easy. The best player — singular — in the game? That’s easy, too.

It has been a minute since someone born in this country could claim the latter, at least as defined by the most cherished individual award in the NBA. The last American-born winner of the Kia MVP award was James Harden … in 2018 . Given how the Americans have had this game in a chokehold since it was invented, that MVP cold stretch feels like 50 years.

So … when’s the next time an American will wrestle the trophy away from the reach of Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), all previous and recent winners?

This competition feels a bit hollow because Jayson Tatum, who collected the most MVP votes by an American last seaso