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.