Gilbert Arenas Backs Zion Williamson to be America’s Answer to Noah Lyles and the Foreign Players Dominating the NBA

For the past five seasons, the NBA Most Valuable Player Award has been given to players who weren’t born in America. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is Greek-Nigerian, won the title in 2019 and 2020. Serbian Nikola Jokić won it in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, 76ers center Joel Hans Embiid, Cameroonian by birth, took it home. 

Now, with the regular season about to begin, many are speculating about who will take the title this year. The question about the presence of an American in this list could be traced back to what Noah Lyles had to say about the NBA. But before we get to that, we need to take a look at who could potentially win it. 

Gilbert Arenas predicts a winner

In an episode of the Gils Arena, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas opined that Zion Williamson was the best shot at this. He believes that if the 23-year-old manages to stay healthy and injury-free, the title could easily be his.

Zion was one of the most potential picks when he was drafted first overall in 2019. He had an exceptionally good rookie season with an average of 22.5 points on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He was also named to the All-Rookie First Team. 

But he missed the 2021-23 season due to a surgery. He also missed the latter half of the next season due to injury. This time around, Zion has spoken about the efforts he has taken to stay healthy. He is hopeful of giving his best and helping the Pelicans’ chance at a title. And this is the exact reason why Arena believes the MVP could be his. 

What did Noah say?

Noah Lyles caused quite a stir with the comments about the legitimacy of the “World Champion” title given to NBA players. The US sprinter participated and won the 100m and 200m world titles at the World Athletics Championships in August. He became the first man to win a sprint double since Usain Bolt in 2015. 

At a press conference after his win, Lyles said, “World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the US, at times, but that ain’t the world.” This statement drew criticism from fans and NBA stars. Kevin Durant, who has been named NBA Finals MVP twice wrote on his Instagram “Somebody help this brother,” Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green also got involved, writing on Instagram, “When being smart goes wrong” with the face-palm emoji. 

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However he also found support in Giannis Antetokounmpo who said, “He received so much backlash for saying the obvious. I don’t think in any other sport, you are called the world champions. You know, like in soccer, which is way bigger than the NBA.” 

Well now, all that can be done is to wait and watch who actually wins the title. Will it be one of the foreigners? Or will someone follow LeBron and Steph in getting the title again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

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