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NBA
NBA Rosters Feature 120 International Players From 40 Countries and 6 Continents
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The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that 120 international players from 40 countries and six continents are on opening-night rosters for the 2022-23 season, including a record number of players from Canada (22) and Australia (10) and a record-tying five players from Nigeria. This marks the first time that opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons and the ninth straight season that opening-night rosters feature at least 100 international players. All 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player.
The 2022-23 season tips off tonight with a doubleheader on TNT. In the first game, the Philadelphia 76ers will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors will receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).
For the ninth consecutive year, Canada is the most-represented country outside of the U.S., followed by Australia, France (nine players) and Germany (six players). Nigeria, Serbia and Spain each have five players. There is a total of 58 European players on opening-night rosters, including three members of the 2021-22 Kia All-NBA First Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia) and 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia).
The Toronto Raptors feature eight international players, marking the second consecutive season the Raptors lead the league, followed by the Mavericks, Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings with seven international players each. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz each have six.
Thirty-eight players on opening-night rosters participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB) prior to their NBA careers, including Deandre Ayton (Suns; Bahamas; BWB Global 2016), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder; Canada; BWB Global 2016), Joel Embiid (76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards; Japan; BWB Global 2016), Jamal Murray (Nuggets; Canada; BWB Global 2015), Pascal Siakam (Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012) and Jonas Valančiūnas (New Orleans Pelicans; Lithuania; BWB Europe 2008). Additionally, there are a record three NBA Academy graduates on opening-night rosters: Dyson Daniels (Pelicans; Australia; NBA Global Academy), Josh Giddey (Thunder; Australia; NBA Global Academy) and Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers; Canada; ties to Haiti; NBA Academy Latin America). NBA Academies, a year-round elite basketball development program for top high school-age athletes from outside the U.S., have been launched in Canberra, Australia; Greater Noida, India; San Luis Potosí, Mexico; and Saly, Senegal for top prospects from their respective countries and continents.
There are also a number of American players with ties to other countries, including more than 35 players with at least one parent from an African country. Among the American players with ties to other countries are Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; ties to Nigeria), Jalen Green (Houston Rockets; ties to the Philippines), Matisse Thybulle (76ers; ties to Australia and Haiti), Juan Toscano-Anderson (Lakers; ties to Mexico), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves; ties to the Dominican Republic) and Jaylin Williams (Thunder; ties to Vietnam).
Country | Name | Team | Ties | ||||
Angola | Bruno Fernando | Houston Rockets | |||||
Argentina | Facundo Campazzo** | Dallas Mavericks | |||||
Argentina | Leandro Bolmaro** | Utah Jazz | |||||
Australia | Ben Simmons | Brooklyn Nets | |||||
Australia | Kyrie Irving | Brooklyn Nets | |||||
Australia | Patty Mills | Brooklyn Nets | |||||
Australia | Josh Green** | Dallas Mavericks | |||||
Australia | Jack White* | Denver Nuggets | |||||
Australia | Joe Ingles | Milwaukee Bucks | |||||
Australia | Dyson Daniels^ | New Orleans Pelicans | |||||
Australia | Josh Giddey^** | Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||
Australia | Jock Landale | Phoenix Suns | |||||
Australia | Matthew Dellavedova | Sacramento Kings | |||||
Austria | Jakob Poeltl | San Antonio Spurs | |||||
Bahamas | Kai Jones** | Charlotte Hornets | |||||
Bahamas | Buddy Hield | Indiana Pacers | |||||
Bahamas | Deandre Ayton** | Phoenix Suns | Ties to Nigeria | ||||
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Jusuf Nurkić | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||
Brazil | Raul Neto | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||
Cameroon | Joel Embiid** | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||
Cameroon | Christian Koloko** | Toronto Raptors | |||||
Cameroon | Pascal Siakam** | Toronto Raptors | |||||
Canada | Mfiondu Kabengele* | Boston Celtics | Ties to the Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||||
Canada | Dwight Powell | Dallas Mavericks | |||||
Canada | Jamal Murray** | Denver Nuggets | |||||
Canada | Cory Joseph | Detroit Pistons | Ties to Trinidad and Tobago | ||||
Canada | Andrew Wiggins | Golden State Warriors | |||||
Canada | Andrew Nembhard** | Indiana Pacers | |||||
Canada | Bennedict Mathurin^** | Indiana Pacers | Ties to Haiti | ||||
Canada | Oshae Brissett | Indiana Pacers | |||||
Canada | Brandon Clarke | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||
Canada | Dillon Brooks | Memphis Grizzlies | |||||
Canada | RJ Barrett** | New York Knicks | |||||
Canada | Luguentz Dort** | Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||
Canada | Caleb Houstan | Orlando Magic | |||||
Canada | Shaedon Sharpe | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||
Canada | Trey Lyles | Sacramento Kings | |||||
Canada | Josh Primo** | San Antonio Spurs | |||||
Canada | Dalano Banton | Toronto Raptors | |||||
Canada | Khem Birch | Toronto Raptors | |||||
Canada | Kelly Olynyk** | Utah Jazz | |||||
Canada | Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Utah Jazz | |||||
Canada | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander** | Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||
Canada | Eugene Omoruyi* | Oklahoma City Thunder | Ties to Nigeria | ||||
Croatia | Bojan Bogdanović | Detroit Pistons | |||||
Croatia | Ivica Zubac | LA Clippers | |||||
Croatia | Dario Šarić** | Phoenix Suns | |||||
Czech Republic | Vít Krejčí** | Atlanta Hawks |
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Terrell Thomas, Founder + CEO of These Urban Times, is a journalist, activist, and sports historian. He has worked with some of the largest brands in sports, entertainment, and tv/film. He lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two children.
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