There is a number that tells you everything about where the NBA stands in 2026: four. That is how many of the top five candidates to win this season’s MVP award were born outside the United States.

The GOAT debate rages on as Nick Wright claims Kobe Bryant was never the best player in the world, sparking major pushback from basketball fans.

Let’s rank the four teams still standing in the 2026 NBA Playoffs by their championship chances.

This year's Rookie of the Year race saw the first white American winner since Mike Miller in 2001 and only the third since Larry Bird in 1980. But not only did Cooper Flagg join Miller and Bird in elite company.