MIES (Switzerland) - Never before has the NBA looked and felt as international as it has in 2025.
Not just in terms of the large number of stars from overseas, or their spectacular plays that show up on daily highlight reels on TV or in social media.
Players from other lands have, for several years, been winning league MVP awards.
Now, for the first time in NBA history, the five statistical champions are from five different countries!
Canada's SGA the Scoring Champion
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the leader of the NBA's best team in the regular season at 68-14, the Oklahoma City Thunder, has become the first Canadian to win the scoring title by averaging 32.7 points per game. Edged out by Serbia's Nikola Jokic for last season's league MVP award, the point guard had several games for the Thunder when he scored at least 50 points and several others when he poured in 40 or more.
SGA has been getting it done for club and country, leading Canada in 2023 to their first podium finish at the FIBA Basketball World Cup and in 2024 to their first Olympic appearance since 2000.
Lithuania's Domantas Sabonis the Rebounding Champion
The boy from the Baltics is now officially the Lord of the Boards. Sacramento's sensation averaged a league best 13.9 rebounds per game in 2024-25. In one game, a January 11 114-97 triumph at defending champions Boston, Domantas Sabonis had an eye-popping 28 rebounds.
Thanks to this rebounding champ, the Kings earned a spot in the Western Conference Play-In.
USA's Trae Young the Assists Champion
With a first name like his, he'd be a nice fit for the 3-point shooting champ yet where Trae Young really dazzled this season was with the dimes. He averaged an NBA best 11.6 assists for Atlanta and dished out 880 in all, helping the Hawks reach the Eastern Conference Play-In.
Young, who had a couple of games when he had 20 or more helpers, is a 2016 FIBA U18 AmeriCup champion with USA and it seems a pretty good bet a summer with the senior team is coming up soon.
Australia's Dyson Daniels the Steals Champion
Dyson Daniels the Boomer followed up his Olympic debut in Paris with the top defensive performance of the season, averaging 3.0 steals per game. How good was that? No other player averaged more than 1.8 steals per game. When is it good to steal?
When it helps your team reach the Eastern Conference Play-In as Daniels did this year for the Atlanta Hawks.
France's Victor Wembanyama the Blocks Champion
Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to the NBA's sultan of swat, San Antonio's very own Victor Wembanyama of France. The 2024 Olympic star averaged a mind-boggling 3.8 swats per game for the Spurs until a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder cut his season short.
The condition—a type of blood clot—was discovered after the NBA All-Star Game. Wembanyama, despite being limited to 46 games, had a league high 176 blocks. He had 10 in one win over Portland.
FIBA