2023-24 Kia Season Preview

NBA rosters feature record 125 international players from 40 countries

The Thunder and Mavericks lead the NBA with 8 international players each.

Rookies Rayan Rupert (left), Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly are among the 14 French players on NBA rosters entering 2023-24.

NEW YORK – The NBA today announced that a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories are on opening-night rosters for the 2023-24 season, including a record number of players from Canada (26) and France (14). 

This marks the third consecutive season that opening-night rosters feature at least 120 international players and the 10th straight season that opening-night rosters have at least 100 international players.  All 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player.

The previous record for international players (121) and current record for countries and territories represented (42) were set at the start of the 2021-22 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively.

For the 10th consecutive season, Canada is the most-represented country outside of the U.S., followed by France, Australia (nine players), Serbia (seven players) and Germany (six players).  Nigeria and Turkey each have five players.  

There are 64 European players on opening-night rosters, including four members of the 2022-23 Kia All-NBA Team: 2021 NBA champion and two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria), four-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team member Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), 2023 NBA champion and two-time Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia) and three-time NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings; Lithuania).  There are also 15 players from Africa, including 2022-23 Kia NBA MVP Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon).

The Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder feature a league-high eight international players each, followed by the Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs with seven international players each.  The Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns each have six.

Below are additional international player milestones and storylines for the upcoming season:

  • Three international players have won the last five Kia NBA MVP Awards: Embiid (2022-23), Jokić (2021-22 and 2020-21) and Antetokounmpo (2019-20 and 2018-19).  Last season also marked the second consecutive season that Embiid, Jokić and Antetokounmpo finished top three in MVP voting.  Embiid and the 76ers visit Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Thursday, Oct. 26 in the season opener for both teams.
  • There are 15 international players on opening-night rosters who have been NBA All-Stars: Antetokounmpo, Dončić, Embiid, Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves; France), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder; Canada), Al Horford (Celtics; Dominican Republic), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks; Australia), Jokić, Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz; Finland), Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics; Latvia), Sabonis, Pascal Siakam (Raptors; Cameroon), Ben Simmons (Brooklyn Nets; Australia), Nikola Vučević (Chicago Bulls; Montenegro) and Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors; Canada).
  • At least five international players have made the Kia All-NBA Team each season since 2018-19.
  • As part of the 2023-24 NBA GM Survey, Jokić, Antetokounmpo and Dončić were voted the No. 1, 2 and 4 players most likely to win the 2023-24 Kia NBA MVP Award (43%, 20% and 10% of votes, respectively).  Jokić, 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama (Spurs; France), Antetokounmpo and Dončić were voted the No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 players whom GMs would most want to sign if they were starting a franchise today (33%, 23%, 13% and 10%, respectively).
  • Wembanyama is the 14th international player to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft and the highest-drafted French player ever.  Wembanyama is poised to make his NBA debut when the Spurs host the Mavericks on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
  • Forty-one international players on opening-night rosters participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB) prior to their NBA careers, including Deandre Ayton (Portland Trail Blazers; Bahamas; BWB Global 2016), Embiid (BWB Africa 2011), Gilgeous-Alexander (BWB Global 2016), Rui Hachimura (Los Angeles Lakers; Japan; BWB Global 2016), Jamal Murray (Nuggets; Canada; BWB Global 2015), Siakam (BWB Africa 2012) and Jonas Valančiūnas (New Orleans Pelicans; Lithuania; BWB Europe 2008).  BWB, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program, has seen 112 former campers advance to the NBA or WNBA since 2001.
  • There are a record four NBA Academy graduates on opening-night rosters: Dyson Daniels (Pelicans; Australia; NBA Global Academy), Josh Giddey (Thunder; Australia; NBA Global Academy), Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers; Canada; ties to Haiti; NBA Academy Latin America) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Mavericks; Canada; ties to Haiti; NBA Academy Latin America).  NBA Academy is a year-round elite basketball development program that provides top high-school-age athletes from outside the U.S. with a holistic approach to player development and a predictable pathway to maximize their potential.
  • A record 55 current NBA players were featured on national team rosters for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, including four on the gold medal-winning German Men’s National Team: tournament MVP Dennis Schröder (Raptors), Daniel Theis (Pacers) and brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic).
  • There are also a number of American players with ties to other countries as well as 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 (Trail Blazers; ties to Australia and Haiti), Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves; ties to the Dominican Republic) and Jaylin Williams (Thunder; ties to Vietnam).

The 78th NBA regular season tips off tonight with a doubleheader on TNT and will reach fans in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages through the league’s broadcast partners around the world and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service available via the NBA App. 

Below is the full list of international players on 2023-24 opening-night rosters (active and inactive):

Country Name Team Ties
Angola Bruno Fernando Atlanta Hawks
Australia Patty Mills Atlanta Hawks
Australia Ben Simmons Brooklyn Nets
Australia Josh Green** Dallas Mavericks
Australia Kyrie Irving Dallas Mavericks
Australia Danté Exum Dallas Mavericks
Australia Jock Landale Houston Rockets
Australia Dyson Daniels^ New Orleans Pelicans
Australia Josh Giddey^** Oklahoma City Thunder
Australia Joe Ingles Orlando Magic
Austria Jakob Poeltl Toronto Raptors
Bahamas Buddy Hield Indiana Pacers
Bahamas Deandre Ayton** Portland Trail Blazers Ties to Nigeria
Belgium Toumani Camara Portland Trail Blazers
Bosnia and Herzegovina Jusuf Nurkić Phoenix Suns
British Virgin Islands D’Moi Hodge* Los Angeles Lakers
Bulgaria Sasha Vezenkov Sacramento Kings
Cameroon Joel Embiid** Philadelphia 76ers
Cameroon Christian Koloko** Toronto Raptors
Cameroon Pascal Siakam** Toronto Raptors
Canada Dalano Banton Boston Celtics
Canada Oshae Brissett Boston Celtics
Canada Tristan Thompson Cleveland Cavaliers
Canada AJ Lawson*** Dallas Mavericks
Canada Dwight Powell Dallas Mavericks
Canada Olivier-Maxence Prosper^** Dallas Mavericks Ties to Haiti
Canada Jamal Murray** Denver Nuggets
Canada Cory Joseph Golden State Warriors Ties to Trinidad and Tobago
Canada Andrew Wiggins Golden State Warriors
Canada Dillon Brooks Houston Rockets
Canada Andrew Nembhard** Indiana Pacers
Canada Bennedict Mathurin^** Indiana Pacers Ties to Haiti
Canada Joshua Primo*** LA Clippers
Canada Brandon Clarke Memphis Grizzlies
Canada Lindell Wigginton*** Milwaukee Bucks
Canada Nickeil Alexander-Walker Minnesota Timberwolves
Canada Leonard Miller Minnesota Timberwolves
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 Charles Bediako*** San Antonio Spurs Ties to Ghana
Canada Kelly Olynyk** Utah Jazz
Canada Shai Gilgeous-Alexander** Oklahoma City Thunder
Canada Eugene Omoruyi* Washington Wizards Ties to Nigeria
Croatia Bojan Bogdanović Detroit Pistons
Croatia Dario Šarić** Golden State Warriors
Croatia Ivica Zubac LA Clippers
Croatia Luka Šamanić*** Utah Jazz
Democratic Republic of the Congo Jonathan Kuminga Golden State Warriors
Democratic Republic of the Congo Oscar Tshiebwe* Indiana Pacers
Dominican Republic Al Horford Boston Celtics
Dominican Republic Chris Duarte Sacramento Kings
Finland Lauri Markkanen** Utah Jazz
France Théo Maledon* Charlotte Hornets
France Frank Ntilikina** Charlotte Hornets Ties to Belgium and Rwanda
France Malcolm Cazalon* Detroit Pistons
France Killian Hayes** Detroit Pistons
France Moussa Diabate*** LA Clippers Ties to Guinea and Mali
France Nicolas Batum** LA Clippers Ties to Cameroon
France Rudy Gobert Minnesota Timberwolves
France Evan Fournier New York Knicks Ties to Algeria
France Ousmane Dieng Oklahoma City Thunder Ties to Senegal
France Olivier Sarr* Oklahoma City Thunder Ties to Senegal
France Rayan Rupert Portland Trail Blazers
France Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs Ties to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
France Sidy Cissoko San Antonio Spurs Ties to Senegal
France Bilal Coulibaly Washington Wizards Ties to Mali
Georgia Goga Bitadze** Orlando Magic
Georgia Sandro Mamukelashvili** San Antonio Spurs
Germany Maxi Kleber Dallas Mavericks
Germany Daniel Theis Indiana Pacers
Germany Isaiah Hartenstein** New York Knicks
Germany Dennis Schröder Toronto Raptors Ties to The Gambia
Germany Franz Wagner Orlando Magic
Germany Moritz Wagner Orlando Magic
Greece Thanasis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Ties to Nigeria
Greece Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Ties to Nigeria
Israel Deni Avdija** Washington Wizards
Italy Simone Fontecchio** Utah Jazz
Italy Danilo Gallinari** Washington Wizards
Jamaica Nick Richards Charlotte Hornets
Japan Rui Hachimura** Los Angeles Lakers Ties to Benin
Japan Yuta Watanabe Phoenix Suns
Latvia Kristaps Porziņģis Boston Celtics
Latvia Dāvis Bertāns Oklahoma City Thunder
Lithuania Jonas Valančiūnas** New Orleans Pelicans
Lithuania Azuolas Tubelis*** Philadelphia 76ers
Lithuania Domantas Sabonis Sacramento Kings
Mali Adama Sanogo*** Chicago Bulls
Montenegro Nikola Vučević Chicago Bulls
New Zealand Steven Adams Memphis Grizzlies
Nigeria Josh Okogie Phoenix Suns
Nigeria Udoka Azubuike* Phoenix Suns
Nigeria Charles Bassey** San Antonio Spurs
Nigeria Precious Achiuwa Toronto Raptors
Nigeria Chimezie Metu Phoenix Suns
Portugal Neemias Queta* Boston Celtics
Senegal Mouhamed Gueye Atlanta Hawks
Serbia Bogdan Bogdanović Atlanta Hawks
Serbia Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets
Serbia Boban Marjanović Houston Rockets
Serbia Nikola Jović Miami Heat
Serbia Aleksej Pokuševski** Oklahoma City Thunder
Serbia Vasilije Micić Oklahoma City Thunder
Serbia Filip Petrušev** Philadelphia 76ers
Slovenia Vlatko Čančar Denver Nuggets
Slovenia Luka Dončić Dallas Mavericks
South Sudan Duop Reath* Portland Trail Blazers
Spain Ricky Rubio Cleveland Cavaliers
Spain Usman Garuba* Golden State Warriors Ties to Nigeria
Spain Santi Aldama** Memphis Grizzlies
St. Lucia Chris Boucher Toronto Raptors Ties to Canada
Sudan Bol Bol Phoenix Suns
Switzerland Clint Capela Atlanta Hawks Ties to Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turkey Onuralp Bitim*** Chicago Bulls
Turkey Alperen Şengün Houston Rockets
Turkey Furkan Korkmaz Philadelphia 76ers
Turkey Cedi Osman San Antonio Spurs
Turkey Ömer Yurtseven** Utah Jazz
Ukraine Svi Mykhailiuk Boston Celtics
Ukraine Alex Len Sacramento Kings
United Kingdom Jeremy Sochan San Antonio Spurs Ties to Poland
United Kingdom OG Anunoby Toronto Raptors Ties to Nigeria

* – Two-Way Player
** – Former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Camper
*** – Both Two-Way Player and Former BWB Camper
^ – NBA Academy Graduate

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