There was a period where the NBA was dominated by the home-based players, the Americans, where the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook took home the most coveted trophy in the league, the MVP crown. That has all changed as the NBA is now dominated by the Europeans and players from other nations.
Dallas Mavericks’ minority owner, Mark Cuban was recently a guest on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ show where he gave his honest opinion on why the league has seen a change in the nationalities currently in dominance. His reason boiled down to the point that compared to the Americans, the young players from other countries work twice as hard to develop every facet of their game, including their basketball IQ.
If you don’t have an IQ it’s going to be harder to fit in the NBA… We have the best players… but still out of those top 20 players there’s a reason why those guys have been MVP… if we did the same development here for kids and you combine the athleticism and the skill with the basketball IQ, there might be half the number of European or foreign players in the NBA.
Mark Cuban said on Club Shay Shay
. @MCuban Defends European Basketball IQ Vs Americans & Talks @KDTrey5 vs @DS17_FG
“We have the best players, it’s not even close, but still out of those top 20 players there’s a reason why those (European) guys have been MVP.” pic.twitter.com/7Esvjvd3Bl
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 29, 2024
The debate surrounding foreign players versus NBA players isn’t new in the league, as it has brought its fair share of controversy. Most recently Celtics legend Paul Pierce was attacked on social media for his rude comments aimed at four-time DPOY, Rudy Gobert.
Nonetheless, the European players have constantly dominated as their American counterparts have been accused of chasing clouts instead. The end-of-season awards have seen the foreign players lead the way especially with the last three MVPs being players of foreign descent.
Mark Cuban’s role in a new look Dallas Mavericks
The news took the basketball world by storm when it was revealed that Mark Cuban had stepped back from controlling basketball operations after he sold a majority stake in the franchise to the Adelson and Dumont families. Although Cuban still retains 27% ownership of the team his influence has somewhat diminished compared to when he was the one calling the shots.
Sources: Mark Cuban is selling a majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson and casino tycoon Adelson family for valuation in range of $3.5 billion. In one of most unique setups in NBA history, Cuban keeps shares in team and full control of basketball operations. pic.twitter.com/9iTqZvoGX1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 28, 2023
As revealed following the sale, Patrick Dumont was appointed as the Mavericks’ new team governor, and general manager Nico Harrison now reports directly to him. However, the Shark Tank boss had acknowledged that while he still has input, Dumont has the final say on all basketball decisions.
Fans were excited that the change in the ownership didn’t impact them, as the Mavericks had a successful season where they made a run for the NBA title. But one thing is certain, which will delight fans, building a championship-caliber team around star player Luka Doncic remains the top priority for the franchise.
