Ahead of the start of the NBA season, at least one team will be represented by one international player.
There will be a record 108 international players competing in the NBA this season, a number that rises every season.
Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and Dennis Schroder, Eurobasket MVP Goran Dragic of Slovenia and Spain’s Gasol brothers are amongst the most recognisable players on that list.
Via NBA:
The record for international players (113) and previous record for countries and territories represented (41) were set at the start of the 2016-17 season.
In addition to the 108 international players on 2017-18 opening-night rosters, there are five international players on “two-way” contracts. Beginning this season, NBA teams can sign up to two two-way players to NBA contracts. These contracts allow two-way players to be with their NBA parent team for up to 45 days, spending most of the season in the NBA G League.
The most-represented countries among the 108 international players on opening-night rosters are Canada (11 players), France (10 players), Australia (record-tying eight players) and Spain (seven players), followed by Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Serbia and Turkey (five players each). Opening-night rosters also feature a record number of European players (64).
The Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz have an NBA-high seven international players each. The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs each have six. The Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic field five each.
