Evidently, international players have taken over the NBA. The last American-born player to win league MVP was James Harden in 2018. However, through the ebbs and flows of the ever-changing hierarchy of league players, Steph Curry has remained on top.
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Curry, a 2x league MVP, with his 2016 award being unanimous, has consistently been at the forefront of the Warriors’ offense. Despite a dearth of talent, he led GSW to the second round of the Playoffs last season, supported by the newly integrated Jimmy Butler.
However, despite averaging 24.5 points and 6 assists on nearly 40% shooting from beyond the arc on a 7th-seeded Warriors, Curry received 2 points for the league MVP in 2024-25. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got 918. That has possibly prompted Brandon Payne, the Warriors star’s trainer, to feel that his client has been treated inconsistently when it comes to rewarding or even acknowledging his performance.
Now, there’s an argument to be made that a superstar on a 7 seed shouldn’t be considered for MVP when options like Nikola Jokic and SGA (68-win OKC) exist. But Payne has a few gripes with some inconsistent disrespect and praise toward Steph.
This stems from Curry most recently being voted as the best American player in the NBA. In Payne’s eyes, this should line up with MVP votes as well.
“Having Stephen Curry on your roster gives you a chance to win a championship every single day. How that guy is not considered an MVP candidate is amusing to me,” said Payne, calling the supposed lack of alignment on their votes “comical”.
Payne also pointed out that the same coaches and executives who voted on the ‘best American player’ also voted on MVP. While Payne has a valid argument, there are a lot more factors that play into the MVP as opposed to the title of ‘best American player’.
Record, team impact, individual stats for that season alone, advanced stats, and as much as everyone hates to admit it: Storylines/narratives.
Donovan Mitchell and LeBron James, two American players, received more votes than Steph for MVP last season because, quite frankly, they deserved it. Spida led the Cavs to 64 wins with his stats comparable to Steph’s, while LeBron dealt with the turmoil of the Lakers, leading them to the 3rd seed.
However, it isn’t shocking at all that Steph was considered to be the best USA-born player in the league currently because this can very much be true. This takes into account pure individual talent and how they are likely to fare in the next season. From the looks of it, Steph is primed for an MVP-esque season in 2025-26.
