NBA rosters feature 100 international players for second consecutive year

Record 10 African and nine Brazilian players highlight 2015-16 opening-night rosters

The Raptors have an NBA-high seven international players, including (from left) Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola and Jonas Valanciunas. (Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Raptors have an NBA-high seven international players, including (from left) Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola and Jonas Valanciunas. (Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)

NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 100 international players from 37 countries and territories are on opening night rosters for the 2015-16 season, marking the second consecutive year that opening night rosters feature at least 100 international players. (Click here for opening night rosters for all 30 teams.)

There are a record 10 African and a record nine Brazilian players on opening night rosters.  Canada has the most of any country for the second straight year with a record-tying 12 NBA players.  France comes in second for the second consecutive year with 10 NBA players.  Australia features a record-tying eight players, while Croatia and Spain round out the top five with four NBA players each.

For the second consecutive year, all 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player.  The Toronto Raptors lead the league with seven international players, while the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz each feature six.  The Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets field five each, while the rosters of the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic each include four.

The NBA’s 70th season begins tonight with a doubleheader on TNT as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2015.  In the first game, the Cavaliers visit the Bulls at 8 p.m. ET.  The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors (three international players) then host the New Orleans Pelicans (two international players) at 10:30 p.m. ET.  The Detroit Pistons (three international players) visit the Hawks at 8 p.m. ET on NBA LEAGUE PASS.

A number of high-profile international players will make their NBA debut during opening week, including:

• Mario Hezonja (Croatia) and the Magic hosting the Washington Wizards, Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. ET on NBA LEAGUE PASS.

• Emmanuel Mudiay (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the Nuggets visiting the Houston Rockets, Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on NBA LEAGUE PASS.

• Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia) and the Knicks taking on the Bucks in Milwaukee, Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on NBA LEAGUE PASS.

NBA rosters at the start of the 2014-15 season featured a record 101 international players from 37 countries and territories.  The league has established a major international presence, with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories and 47 languages and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  

Below please find the full list of international players on 2015-16 opening night rosters (active and inactive):

 

Country Full Name Team
Argentina Pablo Prigioni Los Angeles Clippers
Argentina Manu Ginobili San Antonio Spurs
Argentina Luis Scola Toronto Raptors
Australia Cameron Bairstow Chicago Bulls
Australia Matthew Dellavedova Cleveland Cavaliers
Australia Kyrie Irving Cleveland Cavaliers
Australia Aron Baynes Detroit Pistons
Australia Andrew Bogut Golden State Warriors
Australia Patty Mills San Antonio Spurs
Australia Dante Exum Utah Jazz
Australia Joe Ingles Utah Jazz
Bosnia and Herzegovina Jusuf Nurkic Denver Nuggets
Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirza Teletovic Phoenix Suns
Brazil Tiago Splitter Atlanta Hawks
Brazil Cristiano Felicio Chicago Bulls
Brazil Anderson Varejao Cleveland Cavaliers
Brazil Leandro Barbosa Golden State Warriors
Brazil Marcelo Huertas Los Angeles Lakers
Brazil Bruno Caboclo Toronto Raptors
Brazil Lucas Nogueira Toronto Raptors
Brazil Raul Neto Utah Jazz
Brazil Nene Washington Wizards
Cameroon Luc Mbah a Moute Los Angeles Clippers
Cameroon Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers
Canada Kelly Olynyk Boston Celtics
Canada Tristan Thompson Cleveland Cavaliers
Canada Dwight Powell Dallas Mavericks
Canada Joel Anthony Detroit Pistons
Canada Robert Sacre Los Angeles Lakers
Canada Tyler Ennis Milwaukee Bucks
Canada Andrew Wiggins Minnesota Timberwolves
Canada Andrew Nicholson Orlando Magic
Canada Nik Stauskas Philadelphia 76ers
Canada Anthony Bennett Toronto Raptors
Canada Cory Joseph Toronto Raptors
Canada Trey Lyles Utah Jazz
Cape Verde Walter Tavares Atlanta Hawks
Congo Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder
Croatia Bojan Bogdanovic Brooklyn Nets
Croatia Damjan Rudez Minnesota Timberwolves
Croatia Mario Hezonja Orlando Magic
Croatia Duje Dukan Sacramento Kings
Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Mudiay Denver Nuggets
Democratic Republic of the Congo Bismack Biyombo Toronto Raptors
Dominican Republic Al Horford Atlanta Hawks
Dominican Republic Luis Montero Portland Trail Blazers
France Nicolas Batum Charlotte Hornets
France Joffrey Lauvergne Denver Nuggets
France Ian Mahinmi Indiana Pacers
France Damien Inglis Milwaukee Bucks
France Alexis Ajinca New Orleans Pelicans
France Kevin Seraphin New York Knicks
France Evan Fournier Orlando Magic
France Boris Diaw San Antonio Spurs
France Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs
France Rudy Gobert Utah Jazz
Georgia Zaza Pachulia Dallas Mavericks
Germany Dennis Schroder Atlanta Hawks
Germany Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks
Germany Tibor Pleiss Utah Jazz
Greece Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks
Israel Omri Casspi Sacramento Kings
Italy Andrea Bargnani Brooklyn Nets
Italy Danilo Gallinari Denver Nuggets
Italy Marco Belinelli Sacramento Kings
Latvia Kristaps Porzingis New York Knicks
Lithuania Donatas Motiejunas Houston Rockets
Lithuania Jonas Valanciunas Toronto Raptors
Montenegro Nikola Mirotic Chicago Bulls
Montenegro Nikola Pekovic Minnesota Timberwolves
Montenegro Nikola Vucevic Orlando Magic
New Zealand Steven Adams Oklahoma City Thunder
Nigeria Festus Ezeli Golden State Warriors
Poland Marcin Gortat Washington Wizards
Puerto Rico J.J. Barea Dallas Mavericks
Russia Sergey Karasev Brooklyn Nets
Russia Sasha Kaun Cleveland Cavaliers
Russia Timofey Mozgov Cleveland Cavaliers
Senegal Gorgui Dieng Minnesota Timberwolves
Serbia Nikola Jokic Denver Nuggets
Serbia Nemanja Bjelica Minnesota Timberwolves
Serbia Boban Marjanovic San Antonio Spurs
Slovenia Beno Udrih Memphis Grizzlies
Slovenia Goran Dragic Miami Heat
Slovenia Sasha Vujacic New York Knicks
South Sudan Luol Deng Miami Heat
Spain Pau Gasol Chicago Bulls
Spain Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies
Spain Ricky Rubio Minnesota Timberwolves
Spain Jose Calderon New York Knicks
Sweden Jonas Jerebko Boston Celtics
Switzerland Thabo Sefolosha Atlanta Hawks
Switzerland Clint Capela Houston Rockets
Tunisia Salah Mejri Dallas Mavericks
Turkey Ersan Ilyasova Detroit Pistons
Turkey Omer Asik New Orleans Pelicans
Turkey Enes Kanter Oklahoma City Thunder
Ukraine Alex Len Phoenix Suns
US Virgin Islands Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs
Venezuela Greivis Vasquez Milwaukee Bucks