The NBA's MVP award, which is given to the regular season's outstanding performer, has acquired something of an international flavour in recent years.

In the last five seasons, the Michael Jordan Trophy has gone to two  Europeans and the Cameroonian  Joel Embiid, last year’s winner.

Embiid was preceded as the NBA’s MVP by Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, and Serbia’s Nikola Jokic.  Both won the award twice in a row.

This season, the Boston Celtics’  Jayson Tatum is shaping up as the  chief candidate to end the  United States’ MVP drought.

However, Jokic is being heavily  tipped to win the award for the third time in his career, having also picked  it up in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

A generational talent, the Serb is the franchise player at defending champions the Denver Nuggets, who won their first NBA title last year.

Giannis, Jokic, Embiid and Tatum are the favourites to claim the 2023/24 MVP award, but the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic is also a major candidate.

The Slovenian's individual figures always put him in the frame for the best-player prize, but he also needs Dallas to do well as a team.

Further back in the running are veteran contenders who should not be ruled out: the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the  record for the most MVPs, having  won it six times. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan have five each.

LeBron has the most MVP awards  of any currently active players, with four. He’s level with 1960s  basketball great Wilt Chamberlain.

Never before in the history of the  NBA have US players gone so long without winning the MVP award.