NBA has 125 international players on opening day rosters, France leads way with 17

The NBA attracts the top basketball talent from around the globe.

As proof, there are 125 international players on NBA rosters to open this season, the league announced. That's 27.8% of the available NBA roster spots going to international players

It's not just the number of players, which is down slightly from last season (135), it's the quality and impact those players have on the league. Four international players have won the last eight NBA MVP Awards: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2025 and 2026), Nikola Jokić (2024, 2022 and 2021), Joel Embiid (2023) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019 and 2020). More than that, last season also was the fifth consecutive year that three international players filled out the top three in MVP voting. Last season it was Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 1), Jokić (No. 2) and Victor Wembanyama (No. 3).

More than that, a record 19 international players on opening-night rosters have been NBA All-Stars. At least three international players have made the All-NBA teams every season since 2019.

If you're wondering why a lot of people — *raises hand* — believe France as a genuine threat to the USA winning another gold in Men's Basketball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, consider this: France has a league-high 17 international players on NBA rosters, the most of any country (Canada is next with 16). France can field an entire roster of NBA players, led by Victor Wembanyama, who alone should strike some fear in American hearts.

The NBA's representation of players from, or with direct ties to, Africa — a continent where the NBA has worked hard to grow the game of basketball — continues to grow. Including both international and American players, more than 60 players were either born in Africa or have at least one parent born on the continent, a new record. Among those players are seven-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Cameroon), NBA champion and four-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam (Cameroon), three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (ties to Nigeria), Antetokounmpo (parents born in Nigeria), two-time NBA champion OG Anunoby (ties to Nigeria) and 2026 No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa (ties to the Republic of the Congo).

NBA opening-night rosters also feature 70 European players, the second consecutive season with at least that many.