The impressive rise of non-U.S. players to the top ranks of the NBA is a result of… emulating the Americans, as Kevin Durant argued.
“Basketball is played all over the world. That’s the goal—to grow the game everywhere. It was also about time for players from outside the U.S. to become the best in the NBA. They’ve been coming since the ’80s; it’s only natural that some of them became the best. The real question is: who influenced them? It was the Americans who influenced them. It’s great that some of them won MVP awards, but who did they look up to? Jokić, Porziņģis, and Sai—they all wore Iverson’s jerseys and imitated his crossovers. “They’re trying to play like us, and they’ve succeeded in their own way,” the Rockets superstar said initially.
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“And then you look at Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander). Is he actually an international player? But most of his journey to becoming an NBA player came through the American system. Where did he go to college? Where did he play in high school? So there are many factors that contribute to why these guys are where they are, and the main credit goes to the hard work they put in,” he added.
“It’s all about imitation. Who do you admire, and who do you try to emulate on the court? That’s how everyone improves. Who did they emulate? The Dream Team, the American players. That’s simply how they learned from us, just as I learned from the American players. My generation learned from the players who came before me. It’s a natural progression. Who did Luka Dončić get his moves from? And at the end of the day, it doesn’t even matter. I love players who want to be like Luka Dončić and Michael Jordan. We need more inspiration from different countries and different backgrounds. Why not? I like seeing Luka, who’s from another country, dribble just like we do. He brings a bit of American basketball culture to his country, and I like that, too,” he concluded.
*photo source: AP
