Perkins: International Players Have Taken Over NBA, No Hope for Americans in Next Decade

Kendrick Perkins declared on ESPN's First Take Wednesday that international players have taken over the NBA.

The analyst reacted to Victor Wembanyama's performance after the San Antonio Spurs star scored 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished five assists and blocked three shots in a 126-97 Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. The victory left San Antonio one win from the Western Conference Finals.

Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 2023 No. 1 overall pick, handles the ball like a guard, shoots threes and blocks shots. Perkins said, "I thought American basketball was catching back up." He pointed to Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury issues and Nikola Jokic's slight decline this season as openings for Americans to challenge the foreign stars who have dominated recently.

Then Wembanyama arrived in the postseason. "And then all of a sudden, Wemby comes along in this postseason and last night in particular, and shows us that no, it still belongs to the international players," Perkins said. "The international players have completely taken over our league."

Perkins listed recent MVP winners: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Jokic again, Jokic again, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Giannis again. No American-born player has won since James Harden in 2018. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the favorite this season.

The analyst predicted Wembanyama will dominate both ends of the floor for the next decade and join the foreign-born MVP list soon. Perkins added, "There is no hope for us to take over our league. There is no hope whatsoever, at least for the next 10 years, for us to get our league back."

Perkins noted international stars bring skill to the league and college basketball, boosting global appeal. But Americans prefer rooting for Americans, much like hockey's growth after U.S. Olympic success against Canada created American stars such as Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck.

The NBA once marketed American icons like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson. International stars mixed in, but Americans drove the cultural power.

Perkins' point highlights a lack of connection for American fans with top foreign talents like Wembanyama, Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis, Embiid and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, despite their skills. He used "our league" to capture American fans' sense of ownership slipping away.