Jalen Rose has a message to United States-born basketball players about their future in the NBA. He warned American players that they could become extinct if they didn’t put in the work needed to succeed. The last time a US-born player won the league MVP was in 2018.
In a tweet, Rose composed a short message for American players who have aspirations to make it to the NBA. The former Most Improved Player of the Year wants young players to start working on their craft or they might not have a place in the league soon.
“Dear US born basketball players. Put in that work tirelessly and show discipline otherwise NBA jobs are becoming extinct,” Jalen Rose wrote.
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The NBA is still dominated by Americans in terms of numbers, but some of the best players in the league are from overseas. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Joel Embiid (Cameroon) and Nikola Jokic (Serbia) won the last six MVP awards. The last US-born player to win the award was James Harden.
This season, the three finalists for the MVP award are international players – Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) and Luka Doncic (Slovenia). The rise of international players has left Rose worried, especially with the number increasing every season.
According to a recent statistic at the start of the 2023-24 season, there are 125 international players in the league. It’s a record, with the Dallas Mavericks and OKC Thunder having eight international players each.
Canada has the highest number of international players in the league with 26, followed by France with 14. There are also a total of 40 countries and overseas territories being represented.
NBA fans react to Jalen Rose’s comments
NBA fans reacted to Jalen Rose’s message to American players on X. Some are baffled by it because most players in the league are from the United States, while others agreed that it’s a problem, especially in AAU basketball.
There are also those who blame the one-and-done in college for the reason in the decline of American star players.
“How about some guidance on what type of work? Tell them to quit playing 50 AAU games per summer and to just work on their skill development,” one fan wrote.
“Solutions: Stay in College 3 or 4 years. Solutions solve. European Guys play 4 years of Pro Basket before coming to the USA. Luka played 4 years before coming to the USA. One and done is the issue,” another fan suggested.
“Played ball with some teens. All they did was shoot from logo distance, carry, travel, gathering lots of steps, no defense, no cutting. So bad now that it’s even killing pickup games,” a fan commented.
