NBA: Joint record 125 international players in opening night squads

Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) fight for the opening tipoff during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals, Monday, May 27, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

NEW YORK– A joint-record 125 international players will feature in NBA squads for the 2024-25 season, the league said on Tuesday, with all 30 teams featuring at least one player born outside the United States.

It will be the fourth year in a row with at least 120 international players included across teams for the beginning of the season, the NBA said, with the action tipping off later on Tuesday.

The top-flight league’s increasingly global talent pool was on full display at this year’s Paris Olympics and players at the start of this NBA season hail from a record-equalling 43 countries, up from 40 a year ago.

Canada, which counts one team in the league with the Toronto Raptors, is the most-represented country outside the U.S. with 21 players, followed by France, Australia, Germany and Serbia.

There are 61 European players, with notable names including the Milwaukee Bucks’ two-times MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Serbian Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets and Luka Doncic, the Slovenian five-time All-Star from the Dallas Mavericks.

The teams also include a joint-record 17 players from Africa, with the Philadelphia 76ers’ seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid among the record five players from Cameroon.