The MVP of East-West Finals is all international players, and the globalization of the NBA is further improved

Pascal Siakam was elected the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after the Pacers defeated the Knicks 125-108 and advanced to the finals 4-2.

So far, the MVP of the East and West Finals this season is won by international players - the MVP of the West is Shay Gilgers-Alexander of Canada, and the MVP of the East is Siakam of Cameroon.

This is the first time that two international players have won this honor at the same time since the NBA established the MVP award in the division finals, marking a new height for the league's internationalization trend.

Siakam, who traded from the Raptors to the Pacers in the middle of this season, played the top performance in the Eastern Conference Finals:

G6 key battles: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, plus or negative value +20;

series average: 22.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and shooting percentage of 53.8%;

Integrated offense and defense: can not only eat opponents at low positions, but also switch to the outside, perfectly adapting to the Pacers system. His stable performance allowed the Pacers to return to the finals for the first time since 2000, and also proved that he was still one of the best forwards in the league.

The ownership of the MVP of the Division Finals this season has created many history:

For the first time, two international players won the East-West Finals MVP (Alexander-Canada, Siakam-Cameroon);

Siakam became the first African player to win the East-West Finals MVP

Alexander + Siakam are not trained in the United States (Alexander studied in Kentucky, but grew up in Canada; Siakam entered the league through the NBA Africa Program).

This phenomenon confirms the talent trend in the NBA in recent years - international players are no longer just supporting roles, but have truly become the protagonists of the league. The top three regular season MVPs of this season (Jokic, Alexander, and Antetokounmpo) are also international players, which shows that.

From Jokic and Antetokounmpo to Alexander and Siakam today, the NBA has entered an era dominated by international players. The ownership of the East-West MVP this season may be just the beginning of this trend.