NBA rosters feature 107 international players from 41 countries

NEW YORK The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that 107 international players from 41 countries are on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 season, including a record 17 Canadian players and a record-tying 14 African players.  This marks the seventh consecutive season that opening-night rosters feature at least 100 international players.  All 30 teams have at least one international player.

In addition to the 107 international players on 2020-21 opening-night rosters, there are 10 international players from a record-tying eight countries on “two-way” contracts, allowing them to play in up to 50 NBA games this season.

For the seventh consecutive year, Canada (17 players) is the most-represented country outside of the U.S., followed by France (nine players), Australia (eight players), Serbia and Germany (six players each).

The Washington Wizards have an NBA-high seven international players.  The Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets each have six, while the New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors each have five.

The 2020-21 NBA season begins tonight with a doubleheader on TNT as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2020.  The first game features the Brooklyn Nets hosting the Golden State Warriors at 7 p.m. ET.  In the second game, the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers take on the LA Clippers at 10 p.m. ET.

A record 34 players on opening-night rosters participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB) prior to starting their NBA careers, surpassing the previous record of 30 set in 2019-20.  Former BWB campers include Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011), Jamal Murray (Nuggets; Canada; BWB Global 2015) and Pascal Siakam (Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012).  BWB is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen 76 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents since 2001.

In addition to the 107 international players on 2020-21 opening-night rosters, there are 10 international players from a record-tying eight countries on “two-way” contracts, allowing them to play in up to 50 NBA games this season.  There are also a number of American players with ties to other countries, including more than 30 players with at least one parent from Africa.  Among the American players with ties to other countries are Jordan Clarkson (Utah Jazz; ties to the Philippines), Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers; ties to Nigeria), Matisse Thybulle (76ers; ties to Australia and Haiti) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves; ties to the Dominican Republic).

The records for international players (113) and countries and territories represented (42) were set at the start of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively.

Below please find international player milestones and storylines for the upcoming season:

• A record six international players were named to the 2019-20 All-NBA Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria; All-NBA First Team); Luka Dončić (Mavericks; Slovenia; All-NBA First Team); Nikola Jokić (Nuggets; Serbia; All-NBA Second Team); Siakam (All-NBA Second Team); Rudy Gobert (Jazz; France; All-NBA Third Team); and Ben Simmons (76ers; Australia; All-NBA Third Team).

• There are 14 international players on opening-night rosters who have been NBA All-Stars: Antetokounmpo, Dončić, Goran Dragić (Miami Heat; Slovenia), Embiid, Marc Gasol (Lakers; Spain), Gobert, Al Horford (Oklahoma City Thunder; Dominican Republic), Kyrie Irving (Nets; Australia), Jokić, Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; Latvia), Domantas Sabonis (Pacers; Lithuania), Siakam, Simmons and Nikola Vučević (Orlando Magic; Montenegro).

• As part of the NBA.com 2020-2021 GM Survey, Antetokounmpo and Dončić were voted the No. 1 and No. 2 players most likely to win 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player (32% and 21% of votes, respectively), and tied for the No. 1 player with whom general managers would most want to start a franchise (43% of votes each).  For the second straight season, Jokić was voted the best center in the NBA (50% of votes).

• Deni Avdija, who became the highest-drafted Israeli player ever when he was selected ninth overall by the Washington Wizards in the NBA Draft 2020 presented by State Farm®, is scheduled to make his regular-season debut when the Wizards visit the 76ers on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass.

• Killian Hayes, who became the highest-drafted French player ever when he was selected seventh overall by the Detroit Pistons, is scheduled to make his regular-season debut when the Pistons visit the Timberwolves on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. ET on NBA League Pass.

• Nine players from or with at least one parent from Nigeria were selected in NBA Draft 2020, including Precious Achiuwa (Heat; Nigeria) and Udoka Azubuike (Jazz; Nigeria).

Below please find the full list of international players on 2020-21 opening-night rosters (active and inactive): 

Country Name Team Ties to Other Countries**
Angola Bruno Fernando Atlanta Hawks
Argentina Facundo Campazzo* Denver Nuggets
Australia Aron Baynes Toronto Raptors
Australia Matthew Dellavedova Cleveland Cavaliers
Australia Danté Exum Cleveland Cavaliers
Australia Josh Green Dallas Mavericks
Australia Joe Ingles Utah Jazz
Australia Kyrie Irving Brooklyn Nets
Australia Patty Mills San Antonio Spurs
Australia Ben Simmons Philadelphia 76ers
Austria Jakob Poeltl San Antonio Spurs
Bahamas Buddy Hield Sacramento Kings
Bahamas Deandre Ayton* Phoenix Suns Nigeria
Bosnia and Herzegovina Jusuf Nurkić Portland Trail Blazers
Brazil Bruno Caboclo* Houston Rockets
Brazil Cristiano Felicio Chicago Bulls
Brazil Raul Neto Washington Wizards
Cameroon Joel Embiid* Philadelphia 76ers
Cameroon Pascal Siakam* Toronto Raptors
Canada Nickeil Alexander-Walker New Orleans Pelicans
Canada RJ Barrett* New York Knicks
Canada Khem Birch Orlando Magic
Canada Ignas Brazdeikis* New York Knicks Lithuania
Canada Dillon Brooks Memphis Grizzlies
Canada Brandon Clarke Memphis Grizzlies
Canada Luguentz Dort* Oklahoma City Thunder
Canada Cory Joseph Sacramento Kings Trinidad and Tobago
Canada Mfiondu Kabengele LA Clippers DR Congo
Canada Trey Lyles San Antonio Spurs
Canada Mychal Mulder Golden State Warriors
Canada Jamal Murray* Denver Nuggets
Canada Kelly Olynyk* Miami Heat
Canada Dwight Powell Dallas Mavericks
Canada Tristan Thompson Boston Celtics Jamaica
Canada Andrew Wiggins Golden State Warriors
Canada Shai Gilgeous-Alexander* Oklahoma City Thunder
Croatia Bojan Bogdanović Utah Jazz
Croatia Luka Šamanić* San Antonio Spurs
Croatia Dario Šarić* Phoenix Suns
Croatia Ivica Zubac LA Clippers
Czech Republic Tomáš Satoranský* Chicago Bulls
Democratic Republic of the Congo Bismack Biyombo Charlotte Hornets
Dominican Republic Al Horford Oklahoma City Thunder
Egypt Abdel Nader Phoenix Suns
Finland Lauri Markkanen* Chicago Bulls
France Nicolas Batum* LA Clippers Cameroon
France Sekou Doumbouya* Detroit Pistons Guinea
France Evan Fournier Orlando Magic Algeria
France Rudy Gobert Utah Jazz
France Killian Hayes* Detroit Pistons
France Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot Brooklyn Nets DR Congo
France Théo Maledon Oklahoma City Thunder
France Frank Ntilikina* New York Knicks
France Vincent Poirier Philadelphia 76ers
Gabon Chris Silva Miami Heat
Georgia Goga Bitadze* Indiana Pacers
Germany Isaac Bonga* Washington Wizards
Germany Isaiah Hartenstein* Denver Nuggets
Germany Maxi Kleber Dallas Mavericks
Germany Dennis Schröder Los Angeles Lakers The Gambia
Germany Daniel Theis Boston Celtics
Germany Moritz Wagner Washington Wizards
Greece Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Nigeria
Greece Thanasis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Nigeria
Israel Deni Avdija* Washington Wizards
Italy Danilo Gallinari* Atlanta Hawks
Italy Nicolò Melli New Orleans Pelicans
Jamaica Nick Richards Charlotte Hornets
Japan Rui Hachimura* Washington Wizards Benin
Latvia Davis Bertans Washington Wizards
Latvia Anžejs Pasečņiks* Washington Wizards
Latvia Kristaps Porziņģis Dallas Mavericks
Latvia Rodions Kurucs Brooklyn Nets
Lithuania Domantas Sabonis Indiana Pacers
Lithuania Deividas Sirvydis* Detroit Pistons
Lithuania Jonas Valančiūnas* Memphis Grizzlies
Montenegro Nikola Vučević Orlando Magic
New Zealand Steven Adams New Orleans Pelicans
Nigeria Precious Achiuwa Miami Heat
Nigeria Udoka Azubuike Utah Jazz
Nigeria Josh Okogie Minnesota Timberwolves
Republic of the Congo Serge Ibaka LA Clippers Spain
Senegal Gorgui Dieng* Memphis Grizzlies
Serbia Nemanja Bjelica Sacramento Kings
Serbia Bogdan Bogdanović Atlanta Hawks
Serbia Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets
Serbia Boban Marjanović Dallas Mavericks
Serbia Aleksej Pokuševski* Oklahoma City Thunder
Serbia Alen Smailagić Golden State Warriors
Slovenia Vlatko Čančar Denver Nuggets
Slovenia Goran Dragić Miami Heat
Slovenia Luka Dončić Dallas Mavericks
South Sudan Thon Maker* Cleveland Cavaliers Australia and Uganda
South Sudan Wenyen Gabriel New Orleans Pelicans
Sudan Bol Bol Denver Nuggets
Spain Marc Gasol* Los Angeles Lakers
Spain Juancho Hernangómez Minnesota Timberwolves
Spain Willy Hernangómez* New Orleans Pelicans
Spain Ricky Rubio Minnesota Timberwolves
St. Lucia Chris Boucher Toronto Raptors Canada
Switzerland Clint Capela Atlanta Hawks Angola and the Congo
Turkey Enes Kanter* Portland Trail Blazers
Turkey Furkan Korkmaz Philadelphia 76ers
Turkey Cedi Osman Cleveland Cavaliers
Ukraine Alex Len Toronto Raptors
Ukraine Svi Mykhailiuk Detroit Pistons
United Kingdom OG Anunoby Toronto Raptors Nigeria

 

Below please find the full list of international two-way players:

 

Country Name Team Ties to Other Countries**
Australia Will Magnay New Orleans Pelicans
Canada Nate Darling Charlotte Hornets
France Adam Mokoka Chicago Bulls Republic of the Congo
France Killian Tillie Memphis Grizzlies
Greece Kostas Antetokounmpo* Los Angeles Lakers Nigeria
Guinea Mamadi Diakite Milwaukee Bucks
Italy Nico Mannion Golden State Warriors
Japan Yuta Watanabe Toronto Raptors
Senegal Tacko Fall Boston Celtics
Senegal Karim Mané Orlando Magic Canada

 

*Participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB)

**Not an exhaustive list of every player tie