When the Miami Heat selected Serbian baller Nikola Jovic with the 27th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, he became the franchise’s first international player selected without any US college experience since Martin Müürsepp in 1996.
History has shown that Miami doesn’t take many chances on international prospects, especially in the draft.
But the last decade saw a shift in the NBA, which works to the favor of skilled international recruits who enter the league having gained quality experience in pro leagues of their respective countries.
That’s why it should come as no surprise that many of the league’s elite ballers today are international studs, like the last two MVPs, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and perennial candidates, such as Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic.