One of the biggest arguments against Joker and Luka just got debunked.

[grandmaster]

People said "the NBA isn't as popular in America as it was when guys like Steph, LeBron, Kobe and Shaq were in their primes, so the players aren't as good."

2026 had:
America's most-watched NBA Finals since 1998.
America's most-watched NBA Playoffs since 1998.

Joker finished 2nd in 2026 MVP voting, and Luka finished 4th.

Interestingly, none of the top 4 in MVP voting were born in the US:
1. SGA (Canada)
2. Joker (Serbia)
3. Wemby (France)
4. Luka (Slovenia)

 

[Ambrose]

People said "the NBA isn't as popular in America as it was when guys like Steph, LeBron, Kobe and Shaq were in their primes, so the players aren't as good."

2026 had:
America's most-watched NBA Finals since 1998.
America's most-watched NBA Playoffs since 1998.

Joker finished 2nd in 2026 MVP voting, and Luka finished 4th.

Translation: "the NBA isn't as popular in black America as it was when guys like Steph, LeBron, Kobe, and Shaq were in their primes ..." They're telling the truth.