Paul Pierce Confident That Anthony Edwards Can Break International Players’ Dominance Over MVP Award

An award once dominated by ballers from the United States, elite foreign players have come in and stamped their authority on the MVP trophy in recent years. Americans of course, who want their country to be the best, are hoping for this to change, and some of them, including Paul Pierce, are looking at Anthony Edwards.

Edwards, drafted #1 in 2020, has become one of the superstars of the NBA. He’s the face of the Timberwolves franchise, a huge reason why they made back-to-back Western Conference Finals. This year, he’s looking to take a step further, and according to Hall of Famer Pierce, he will be the only American in the MVP conversation.

In a conversation with former Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett, Pierce spoke about Edwards and his ability to make himself seen.

“I like Ant-Man,” he said on the KG certified podcast. “I think he got an opportunity to start, you know, making his name recognized in that conversation He has that type of ability. When we talk about the American players right now, as of today, this season? I think he’s the only one.” 

If Edwards does improve on last season, he could definitely be one of the top names in the MVP ladder. He averaged 27.6 points across 79 games played in 2024-25, and in the playoffs, defeated LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s Lakers, followed by the Golden State Warriors. Sadly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder proved too difficult an obstacle to overcome.

Fox Sports has Ant at +2700 to win MVP this season. This means someone could win $2700 if they bet merely $100. Quite the solid return and chance to take on the 24-year-old.

Interestingly, it was Gilgeous-Alexander (from Canada) who won the MVP in 2025. In fact, since 2018 only non-Americans have won the coveted accolade: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) and Joel Embiid (who may play for Team USA, but represents Cameroon). The last American to stand tall in this category was James Harden, who played for the Houston Rockets, a lifetime ago.

Shai, Giannis, and Jokic are once again expected to be in the MVP mix in 2026, with Luka Doncic (Slovenia) also having a strong chance to win his first. So it’s fair to say the only American with a real shot right now is Edwards, though there are a few others worth keeping an eye on for the future.

“Cade Cunningham, he could probably be eventually in that conversation. Maybe a guy like Jalen Brunson? It depends on the record of the Knicks and how well they look,” Pierce, a former Finals MVP, added.