The modern NBA is about to approach a tipping point for its next generation-defining era. With the aging of superstars such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, there is an impending void in American basketball that is approaching. While that transition is happening, there is a generation of talented European players like Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic set to be the faces of the NBA for the foreseeable future.
Does USA basketball have current or future stars on the horizon to fill that void? Is Europe really that much better at developing basketball talent than North America?
The NBA’s European Era
Part of the discussion in the debate of US vs. Europe is the fact that no American player has won NBA MVP since 2018 when James Harden earned the award. The ascension of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season culminated in the league’s top award and a championship, adding additional fuel to the discussion. Jokic and Antetokounmpo also earned NBA titles, and Jokic’s stats alone put him in the discussion of an all-time NBA great.
Where does that leave USA basketball? Jaylen Brown is just 29 years old and the face of one of the most storied franchises in the NBA, while Donovan Mitchell is the same age and has elevated the Cleveland Cavaliers into a consistent contender in the Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson has been an impact player since arriving in New York while Anthony Edwards is an exciting young player in the league as he averages over 29 points per game this season. Cooper Flagg has potential to be a superstar in the league as he has posted 20.3 points per game as a rookie for the Dallas Mavericks.
The upcoming transition has put the US Olympic team in an interesting spot. The Summer Games are two years away, and Curry and James have stated that they would not be participating. Durant has expressed interest in competing, but the rest of the roster would largely be composed of players who are untested on the global stage. With the Olympics being hosted by Los Angeles, the stakes are high for the host country to be in contention for another gold medal.
That being said, those five Americans lack the pedigree of a James, Curry, or a Durant. Brown is the closest one with a championship and five All-Star selections to his credit, but his accomplishments pale in comparison to what those three sure-fire Hall of Famers accomplished. There is going to be a void at the top of the NBA in a few years, and it looks like European players are going to fill that void.
The lack of an heir apparent to the current generation of US-born superstars is much to the chagrin of Durant, who lamented the current discussion of US vs. Europe basketball debate.
“I just don’t like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game,” Durant said in a recent interview. “All I hear is, ‘AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.’ It’s a lot of bulls— with that. I can read between the lines on that. It’s a shot at Black Americans.”
Final Thoughts
The possible racial undertones of the argument can debated; what can’t be debated is that European players are in a better spot to lead the NBA in the near future than the American players.
