Australian Ben Simmons and Serbian Nikola Jokic were announced as the NBA Players of the Week on Monday, the first time two international players have swept the awards in four years.
The 21-year-old Philadelphia 76ers forward Simmons averaged 18.5 points, 10 rebounds and 8.8 assists in his team's four wins last week to secure the Eastern conference award and further make his case for Rookie of the Year honours.
The big Denver Nuggets forward Jokic narrowly missed averaging a triple-double en route to the Western conference nod, averaging 23 points, 10.3 rebounds and nine assists as his team went 3-0 to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Simmons, who sat out all of last season with a broken foot, has played a key role for the 76ers, who have won 14 successive matches and are third in the conference with two games left to play in the regular season.
Yet the ambitious Australian said on Monday he had his eyes on an even bigger prize than the Player of the Week or even Rookie of the Year honours.
"Championships," Simmons said. "I want to be the Defensive Player of the Year... MVP. There's a lot of accolades I want to get, but I ultimately want to win a ring."
Monday marks the first time two international players have won the awards in the same week since Montenegro's Nikola Vucevic won it for the Eastern conference's Orlando Magic and the US Virgin Islands' Tim Duncan for the Western conference's San Antonio Spurs during the 2013/2014 season.
The award is the latest sign of the impact players from outside the US are having on the New York-based league, with a record number of international players expected to compete in the playoffs when they tip off on April 14.
The 76ers and Utah Jazz, who have Australian players Joe Ingles and Dante Exum, have the most foreign athletes on their rosters, with each team sporting seven players.
