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Last Updated:October 21, 2025, 21:43 IST
NBA sets a new record with 135 international players from 43 countries signed for the start of the 2025–26 season.
(Credit: X)
The NBA just got even more global.
A record 135 players born outside the United States feature on opening-night rosters for the 2025–26 season, the league announced Tuesday, with 43 countries across six continents represented.
It’s the 12th straight year that the NBA has had at least 100 international players, and the previous record was 125, set at the start of the 2023–24 season.
The NBA today announced that a record 135 international players from a record-tying 43 countries across six continents are on opening-night rosters for the 2025-26 season.All 30 teams feature at least one international player.
🇨🇦 – 23 players🇫🇷 – 19 players🇦🇺 – 13 players… pic.twitter.com/oSiEjH8ndr
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 21, 2025
Canada once again leads the way as the biggest exporter of NBA talent outside the U.S., boasting 23 players, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the Oklahoma City Thunder to last season’s championship.
France, Australia, and Germany follow with seven players each, while Serbia rounds out the top five with six, highlighting the NBA’s international pipeline — from Paris to Perth to Belgrade.
Team-wise, the Atlanta Hawks lead the pack with a record-tying 10 international players, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors, who each feature seven.
Europe remains the NBA’s biggest talent hub, contributing a record 71 players, including global superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), and Victor Wembanyama (France).
The 2025-26 NBA season tips off tomorrow with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Houston Rockets.
(with agency inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...
Read More
First Published:
October 21, 2025, 21:43 IST
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