Lately, there has been a lot of talk about international players in the NBA.
After the latest NBA Finals and the FIBA Basketball World Cup, people are discussing the skills and power of players born all over the world.
NBA legend Kevin Garnett is one of those people.
On Twitter, Garnett contemplated the situation.
“MVP… international player, NBA champs internationally led… Team USA not medaling..” Garnett said.
He concluded: “What’s to it.”
MVP… international player, NBA champs internationally led… Team USA not medalling..
What’s to it 🤔
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) September 10, 2023
The German national team just won the World Cup.
And just a few months ago, the Denver Nuggets won the NBA Finals, led by international stars Nikola Jokic of Serbia and Jamal Murray of Canada.
It’s clear that it’s been a very good year for foreign-born stars.
Garnett wonders what is behind this but the answer is obvious: basketball has grown in popularity over the last few decades and the entire world is filled with up-and-coming stars.
In many ways, this is what the NBA has been working on for years.
There has been an intentional effort to attract young players from every corner of the globe.
Even all the way back in the 1990s, the league was trying to raise awareness of the sport and made players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal household names all over Earth.
The young players who watched Jordan, Bryant, and O’Neal are now the ones playing for their respective countries.
The power of international players has been building quietly over the years and now basketball fans are experiencing a truly global game.
Garnett and others need to prepare for much more dominance coming from overseas.
NEXT: Tyrese Haliburton Talks Returning To Team USA Next Year
