The NBA opens its 81st regular season with 125 international players spread across 43 countries and six continents, matching the league’s high-water mark for national representation. Every club carries at least one international player, while France takes the top spot in the country count with 17 players, led by San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.
France leads a league-wide international roster wave
France is the first nation besides Canada to lead the NBA in international players in 13 seasons. Canada, paced by Oklahoma City MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is right behind with 16 players. Australia has nine, Germany has seven, and Nigeria and Serbia each place six players on opening-night rosters.
- International players have reached at least 120 on opening-night rosters for six straight seasons.
- The league has cleared 100 international players for 13 consecutive years.
- The NBA record for international players remains 135, set entering 2025-26.
- The 43 countries and territories represented ties the all-time mark first reached in 2017-18.
- The Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards each have seven international players, the highest total in the league.
- Europe accounts for 70 players for the second season in a row, only the second time that threshold has been reached.
Wembanyama headlines the French group after winning the 2025-26 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. The European contingent also includes Miami forward Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Denver center Nikola Jokić of Serbia and Lakers guard Luka Dončić of Slovenia.
Africa’s imprint continues to grow as well. More than 60 players on opening-night rosters were either born in Africa or have at least one parent born there, and more than 30 have Nigerian roots, another league record. That larger group includes Bam Adebayo, Antetokounmpo, OG Anunoby, No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam.
MVP races and All-Star pedigree remain global
International players have owned eight of the last nine Kia NBA MVP awards. Gilgeous-Alexander won each of the past two, Jokić owns three of the previous six, Embiid took the 2022-23 honor and Antetokounmpo won in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.
- Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić and Wembanyama finished first, second and third, respectively, in 2025-26 MVP voting.
- That marked a fifth straight year with three international players in the top three of the MVP vote.
- At least three international players have landed on an All-NBA team in every season since 2018-19.
- NBA general managers selected Wembanyama as their leading 2026-27 MVP choice, receiving 77 percent of the vote. Jokić was second at 10 percent.
- Wembanyama also received 93 percent of the vote when GMs were asked whom they would sign first to build a new franchise.
- More than 45 players on opening-night rosters previously participated in Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA development and community program.
A record 19 international players on opening-night rosters have already made an NBA All-Star team: Antetokounmpo, Deni Avdija, Dončić, Embiid, Gilgeous-Alexander, Rudy Gobert, Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, Jokić, Lauri Markkanen, Jamal Murray, Kristaps Porziņģis, Domantas Sabonis, Alperen Sengun, Siakam, Ben Simmons, Nikola Vučević, Wembanyama and Andrew Wiggins.
The league’s international ties also extend through U.S.-born players. Phoenix’s Jalen Green has Filipino heritage, Chicago’s Norman Powell has Jamaican ties, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns has Dominican family roots, and Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams has ties to Vietnam.
Opening-night schedule and full international roster list
The season begins with an NBC and Peacock tripleheader. Boston visits Detroit at 3 p.m. ET, the defending champion Knicks host Philadelphia at 7 p.m. ET, and San Antonio welcomes Oklahoma City at 9:30 p.m. ET. The 2026-27 campaign will be available in 214 countries and territories, delivered in more than 50 languages through broadcast partners and NBA League Pass.
International players on opening-night rosters
| Country | Player | Team | Additional ties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Australia | Jock Landale | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Australia | Josh Giddey | Chicago Bulls | — |
| Australia | Tyrese Proctor | Cleveland Cavaliers | — |
| Australia | Kyrie Irving | Dallas Mavericks | — |
| Australia | Johnny Furphy | Indiana Pacers | Papua New Guinea |
| Australia | Rocco Zikarsky* | Minnesota Timberwolves | — |
| Australia | Ben Simmons | Sacramento Kings | — |
| Australia | Josh Green | Utah Jazz | — |
| Austria | Jakob Poeltl | Toronto Raptors | — |
| Bahamas | Buddy Hield | Chicago Bulls | — |
| Bahamas | VJ Edgecombe | Philadelphia 76ers | — |
| Bahamas | Deandre Ayton | Washington Wizards | Nigeria |
| Belgium | Ajay Mitchell | Oklahoma City Thunder | — |
| Belgium | Toumani Camara | Portland Trail Blazers | Mali |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Jusuf Nurkić | Utah Jazz | — |
| Brazil | Gui Santos | Golden State Warriors | — |
| Cameroon | Pascal Siakam | Indiana Pacers | — |
| Cameroon | Yves Missi | New Orleans Pelicans | — |
| Cameroon | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | — |
| Canada | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Canada | Luguentz Dort | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Canada | Leonard Miller | Chicago Bulls | — |
| Canada | Jamal Murray | Denver Nuggets | — |
| Canada | Ryan Nembhard* | Denver Nuggets | — |
| Canada | Andrew Nembhard | Indiana Pacers | — |
| Canada | Zach Edey | Memphis Grizzlies | — |
| Canada | Olivier-Maxence Prosper | Memphis Grizzlies | Haiti |
| Canada | Andrew Wiggins | Miami Heat | — |
| Canada | Trey Lyles | Minnesota Timberwolves | — |
| Canada | Bennedict Mathurin | New Orleans Pelicans | Haiti |
| Canada | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | — |
| Canada | Dillon Brooks | Phoenix Suns | — |
| Canada | Shaedon Sharpe | Portland Trail Blazers | — |
| Canada | RJ Barrett | Toronto Raptors | — |
| Canada | Will Riley | Washington Wizards | — |
| China | Yang Hansen | Portland Trail Blazers | — |
| Croatia | Mario Hezonja | Cleveland Cavaliers | — |
| Croatia | Ivica Zubac | Indiana Pacers | — |
| Croatia | Karlo Matković | New Orleans Pelicans | — |
| Czech Republic | Vít Krejčí | Portland Trail Blazers | — |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Oscar Tshiebwe* | Houston Rockets | — |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Jonathan Kuminga | Minnesota Timberwolves | — |
| Dominican Republic | Al Horford | Golden State Warriors | — |
| Dominican Republic | David Jones Garcia* | San Antonio Spurs | — |
| Estonia | Henri Veesaar | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Finland | Lauri Markkanen | Utah Jazz | — |
| France | Nolan Traoré | Brooklyn Nets | — |
| France | Moussa Diabaté | Charlotte Hornets | Guinea and Mali |
| France | Tidjane Salaün | Charlotte Hornets | — |
| France | Noa Essengue | Chicago Bulls | Cameroon |
| France | Zaccharie Risacher | Dallas Mavericks | — |
| France | Ousmane Dieng | Milwaukee Bucks | Senegal |
| France | Joan Beringer | Minnesota Timberwolves | Benin |
| France | Rudy Gobert | Minnesota Timberwolves | — |
| France | Pacôme Dadiet | New York Knicks | Ivory Coast |
| France | Mohamed Diawara | New York Knicks | Mali |
| France | Noah Penda | Orlando Magic | Cameroon and Martinique |
| France | Rayan Rupert* | Philadelphia 76ers | Morocco |
| France | Sidy Cissoko | Portland Trail Blazers | Senegal |
| France | Maxime Raynaud | Sacramento Kings | — |
| France | Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | — |
| France | Bilal Coulibaly | Washington Wizards | Mali |
| France | Alex Sarr | Washington Wizards | Senegal |
| Georgia | Sandro Mamukelashvili | Los Angeles Lakers | — |
| Georgia | Goga Bitadze | Orlando Magic | — |
| Germany | Moritz Wagner | Brooklyn Nets | — |
| Germany | Dennis Schröder | Charlotte Hornets | The Gambia |
| Germany | Hannes Steinbach | Charlotte Hornets | — |
| Germany | Isaiah Hartenstein | Oklahoma City Thunder | — |
| Germany | Tristan da Silva | Orlando Magic | Brazil |
| Germany | Franz Wagner | Orlando Magic | — |
| Germany | Ariel Hukporti | Philadelphia 76ers | Togo |
| Greece | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Miami Heat | Nigeria |
| Guinea | Moussa Cissé | Dallas Mavericks | — |
| Israel | Ben Saraf | Brooklyn Nets | — |
| Israel | Deni Avdija | Portland Trail Blazers | — |
| Italy | Simone Fontecchio | Miami Heat | — |
| Jamaica | Nick Richards | Miami Heat | — |
| Japan | Rui Hachimura | LA Clippers | Benin |
| Latvia | Kristaps Porziņģis | Golden State Warriors | — |
| Lithuania | Kasparas Jakučionis | Milwaukee Bucks | — |
| Lithuania | Domantas Sabonis | Sacramento Kings | — |
| Mexico | Karim López | Memphis Grizzlies | Spain |
| Montenegro | Nikola Vučević | Orlando Magic | — |
| Netherlands | Tristan Enaruna* | Cleveland Cavaliers | Nigeria |
| Netherlands | Malevy Leons* | Golden State Warriors | — |
| Netherlands | Quinten Post | Memphis Grizzlies | — |
| New Zealand | Steven Adams | Houston Rockets | — |
| Nigeria | Ugonna Onyenso* | Detroit Pistons | — |
| Nigeria | Charles Bassey | Golden State Warriors | — |
| Nigeria | Adem Bona | Philadelphia 76ers | Türkiye |
| Nigeria | Precious Achiuwa | Sacramento Kings | — |
| Nigeria | Josh Okogie | Utah Jazz | — |
| Nigeria | Felix Okpara* | Washington Wizards | — |
| Portugal | Neemias Queta | Boston Celtics | Guinea-Bissau |
| Russia | Egor Dëmin | Brooklyn Nets | — |
| Russia | Vladislav Goldin* | Miami Heat | — |
| Senegal | Mouhamed Gueye | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Senegal | Khalifa Diop | Cleveland Cavaliers | — |
| Senegal | Tacko Fall* | Philadelphia 76ers | — |
| Serbia | Nikola Jokić | Denver Nuggets | — |
| Serbia | Bogdan Bogdanović | Houston Rockets | — |
| Serbia | Nikola Jović | Miami Heat | — |
| Serbia | Bogoljub Marković | Milwaukee Bucks | — |
| Serbia | Nikola Topić | Oklahoma City Thunder | — |
| Serbia | Tristan Vukčević | Washington Wizards | Sweden |
| Slovenia | Luka Dončić | Los Angeles Lakers | — |
| South Sudan | Khaman Maluach | Phoenix Suns | Uganda |
| South Sudan | Duop Reath* | Phoenix Suns | Australia |
| Spain | Hugo González | Boston Celtics | — |
| Spain | Santi Aldama | Dallas Mavericks | — |
| Spain | Sergio De Larrea | Dallas Mavericks | — |
| Spain | Baba Miller | LA Clippers | — |
| Spain | Aday Mara | Oklahoma City Thunder | — |
| Sweden | Pelle Larsson | Miami Heat | — |
| Switzerland | Clint Capela | Houston Rockets | Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Switzerland | Yanic Konan Niederhäuser | LA Clippers | Ivory Coast |
| Switzerland | Kyshawn George | Washington Wizards | Canada and France |
| Türkiye | Tarik Biberović | Dallas Mavericks | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Türkiye | Alperen Sengun | Houston Rockets | — |
| Ukraine | Svi Mykhailiuk | Utah Jazz | — |
| United Kingdom | Amari Williams* | Boston Celtics | — |
| United Kingdom | Tobi Lawal* | Dallas Mavericks | Nigeria |
| United Kingdom | OG Anunoby | New York Knicks | Nigeria |
* Two-way player.
