NBA rosters feature 125 international players from record-tying 43 countries across six continents

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada and Victor Wembanyama of France met in last season’s Western Conference Finals.

NEW YORK

– The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that 125 international players from a record-tying 43 countries across six continents are on opening-night rosters for the 2026-27 season. Including both international and American players, there are a record of more than 60 players who were either born in Africa or have at least one parent born on the continent. Opening-night rosters feature 70 European players, marking the second consecutive season and second time ever with at least that many.

France – with 17 players headlined by two-time NBA All-Star and 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) – becomes the first country other than Canada in 13 seasons to lead the NBA in international players. Canada ranks second with 16, headlined by 2025 NBA champion and reigning back-to-back Kia NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), followed by Australia (nine), Germany (seven), Nigeria and Serbia (six each).

This is the sixth consecutive season that opening-night rosters feature at least 120 international players and the 13th straight season with at least 100 international players. All 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player. The Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards feature a league-high seven each.

The record for international players (135) and the record for countries and territories represented (43) were set at the start of the 2025-26 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively.

The 70 European players include 2021 NBA champion and two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo (Heat; Greece; ties to Nigeria), 2023 NBA champion and three-time Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), six-time NBA All-Star and Kia All-NBA First Team member Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers; Slovenia), and Wembanyama.

The more than 60 players who were either born in Africa or have at least one parent born on the continent include a record of more than 30 from or with at least one parent from Nigeria. Among the more than 60 players are three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Heat; ties to Nigeria), Antetokounmpo, two-time NBA champion OG Anunoby (New York Knicks; UK; ties to Nigeria), 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa (Wizards; ties to the Republic of the Congo and Jamaica), 2022-23 Kia NBA MVP and seven-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon), and 2019 NBA champion and four-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; Cameroon).

Below are additional international player milestones and storylines for the upcoming season:

•

Four international players have won the last eight Kia NBA MVP Awards:

Gilgeous-Alexander (2025-26 and 2024-25), Jokić (2023-24, 2021-22 and 2020-21), Embiid (2022-23) and Antetokounmpo (2019-20 and 2018-19). Last season also marked the fifth consecutive season that three international players finished top three in MVP voting: Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 1), Jokić (No. 2) and Wembanyama (No. 3).

There are a record 19 international players on opening-night rosters who have been NBA All-Stars:

Antetokounmpo, Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers; Israel), Dončić, Embiid, Gilgeous-Alexander, Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves; France), Al Horford (Golden State Warriors; Dominican Republic), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks; Australia), Jokić, Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz; Finland), Jamal Murray (Nuggets; Canada), Kristaps Porziņģis (Warriors; Latvia), Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings; Lithuania), Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets; Türkiye), Siakam, Ben Simmons (Kings; Australia), Nikola Vučević (Orlando Magic; Montenegro), Wembanyama and Andrew Wiggins (Heat; Canada).

At least three international players have made the Kia All-NBA Team

each season since 2018-19.

In the 2026-27 NBA GM Survey

, Wembanyama (No. 1) and Jokić (No. 2) were voted the players most likely to win the 2026-27 Kia NBA MVP Award (77% and 10% of votes, respectively). Wembanyama was also voted as the player GMs would most want to sign if they were starting a franchise today (93% of votes).

Opening-night rosters feature more than 45 players who participated in Basketball Without Borders

, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program.

There are also several American players with parents from other countries

, including Jalen Green (Phoenix Suns; ties to the Philippines), Norman Powell (Chicago Bulls; ties to Jamaica), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks; ties to the Dominican Republic) and Jaylin Williams (Thunder; ties to Vietnam).

The 81st NBA regular season tips off today with an NBC/Peacock tripleheader as the Boston Celtics visit the Detroit Pistons (3 p.m. ET), the defending NBA champion Knicks host the 76ers (7 p.m. ET) and the Spurs meet the Thunder in San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET). The 2026-27 season will reach fans in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages through the league’s broadcast partners around the world and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service available via the NBA App.

Below is the full list of international players on 2026-27 opening-night NBA rosters (active and inactive):

Country

Name

Team

Ties

Australia

Dyson Daniels

Atlanta Hawks

Jock Landale

Josh Giddey

Chicago Bulls

Tyrese Proctor

Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving

Dallas Mavericks

Johnny Furphy

Indiana Pacers

Ties to Papua New Guinea

Rocco Zikarsky*

Minnesota Timberwolves

Ben Simmons

Sacramento Kings

Josh Green

Utah Jazz

Austria

Jakob Poeltl

Toronto Raptors

Bahamas

Buddy Hield

VJ Edgecombe

Philadelphia 76ers

Deandre Ayton

Washington Wizards

Ties to Nigeria

Belgium

Ajay Mitchell

Oklahoma City Thunder

Toumani Camara

Portland Trail Blazers

Ties to Mali

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jusuf Nurkić

Brazil

Gui Santos

Golden State Warriors

Cameroon

Pascal Siakam

Yves Missi

New Orleans Pelicans

Joel Embiid

Canada

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Luguentz Dort

Leonard Miller

Jamal Murray

Denver Nuggets

Ryan Nembhard*

Andrew Nembhard

Zach Edey

Memphis Grizzlies

Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Ties to Haiti

Andrew Wiggins

Miami Heat

Trey Lyles

Bennedict Mathurin

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Dillon Brooks

Phoenix Suns

Shaedon Sharpe

RJ Barrett

Will Riley

China

Yang Hansen

Croatia

Mario Hezonja

Ivica Zubac

Karlo Matković

Czech Republic

Vít Krejčí

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Oscar Tshiebwe*

Houston Rockets

Jonathan Kuminga

Dominican Republic

Al Horford

David Jones Garcia*

San Antonio Spurs

Estonia

Henri Veesaar

Finland

Lauri Markkanen

France

Nolan Traoré

Brooklyn Nets

Moussa Diabaté

Charlotte Hornets

Ties to Guinea and Mali

Tidjane Salaün

Noa Essengue

Ties to Cameroon

Zaccharie Risacher

Ousmane Dieng

Milwaukee Bucks

Ties to Senegal

Joan Beringer

Ties to Benin

Rudy Gobert

Pacôme Dadiet

New York Knicks

Ties to Ivory Coast

Mohamed Diawara

Noah Penda

Orlando Magic

Ties to Cameroon and Martinique

Rayan Rupert*

Ties to Morocco

Sidy Cissoko

Maxime Raynaud

Victor Wembanyama

Bilal Coulibaly

Alex Sarr

Georgia

Sandro Mamukelashvili

Los Angeles Lakers

Goga Bitadze

Germany

Moritz Wagner

Dennis Schröder

Ties to The Gambia

Hannes Steinbach

Isaiah Hartenstein

Tristan da Silva

Ties to Brazil

Franz Wagner

Ariel Hukporti

Ties to Togo

Greece

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Guinea

Moussa Cissé

Israel

Ben Saraf

Deni Avdija

Italy

Simone Fontecchio

Jamaica

Nick Richards

Japan

Rui Hachimura

LA Clippers

Latvia

Kristaps Porziņģis

Lithuania

Kasparas Jakučionis

Domantas Sabonis

Mexico

Karim López

Ties to Spain

Montenegro

Nikola Vučević

Netherlands

Tristan Enaruna*

Malevy Leons*

Quinten Post

New Zealand

Steven Adams

Nigeria

Ugonna Onyenso*

Detroit Pistons

Charles Bassey

Adem Bona

Ties to Türkiye

Precious Achiuwa

Josh Okogie

Felix Okpara*

Portugal

Neemias Queta

Boston Celtics

Ties to Guinea-Bissau

Russia

Egor Dёmin

Vladislav Goldin*

Senegal

Mouhamed Gueye

Khalifa Diop

Tacko Fall*

Serbia

Nikola Jokić

Bogdan Bogdanović

Nikola Jović

Bogoljub Marković

Nikola Topić

Tristan Vukčević

Ties to Sweden

Slovenia

Luka Dončić

South Sudan

Khaman Maluach

Ties to Uganda

Duop Reath*

Ties to Australia

Spain

Hugo González

Santi Aldama

Sergio De Larrea

Baba Miller

Aday Mara

Sweden

Pelle Larsson

Switzerland

Clint Capela

Ties to Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Yanic Konan Niederhäuser

Kyshawn George

Ties to Canada and France

Türkiye

Tarik Biberović

Ties to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alperen Sengun

Ukraine

Svi Mykhailiuk

United Kingdom

Amari Williams*

Tobi Lawal*

OG Anunoby

*

Two-Way Player