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Record number of international players involved as NBA season tips off

Oklahoma City Thunder's Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifts the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy
Oklahoma City Thunder's Canadian star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifts the Larry O'Brien Championship TrophyAlonzo Adams-Imagn Images/File Photo

A record 135 players born outside the United States were on National Basketball Association (NBA) opening-night rosters, the NBA said on Tuesday, with 43 countries represented across six continents.

The 2025/26 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, marking the 12th consecutive year that opening-night rosters have had at least 100 international players in the U.S.-based league.

The previous record for international players was 125, a mark reached at the start of the 2023/24 season.

For a 12th consecutive season, Canada is the most-represented country outside the United States with 23 players, a group headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA title in June.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is an NBA superstar
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is an NBA superstarChristopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

France, Australia and Germany were the joint-second-most represented countries outside the USA with seven players each, followed by Serbia (6).

The Atlanta Hawks feature a record-tying 10 international players, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors with seven apiece.

The NBA also said there are a record 71 European players on opening-night rosters, a star-studded group that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Victor Wembanyama (France).

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