The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced that a record-tying 17 players from Africa are among 125 international players representing 43 countries across six continents on the opening-night rosters for the 2024-25 season. Notably, a record five players from Cameroon, including the reigning 2022-23 Kia NBA MVP and seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), headline the list.

In addition to the African players, more than 35 players have at least one parent from an African country, including prominent stars like three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat, ties to Nigeria), two-time Kia NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks, ties to Nigeria), and 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs, ties to the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

This season marks the fourth consecutive year where NBA opening-night rosters feature at least 120 international players and the 11th straight season with 100 or more international players. Each of the NBA’s 30 teams has at least one international player.

The record for most international players (125) and countries and territories represented (43) was originally set during the 2023-24 and 2017-18 seasons.

For the 11th consecutive season, Canada leads all countries outside the U.S. with 21 players, followed by France, Australia, Germany, and Serbia with six each. Europe is strongly represented, with 61 European players, including top stars like Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks, Slovenia), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets, Serbia), and Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings, Lithuania).

Several teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, have a league-high seven international players each, with the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors following closely behind with six each.

International Milestones for the 2024-25 NBA Season:

Three international players have won the last six Kia NBA MVP awards: Antetokounmpo (2018-19, 2019-20), Embiid (2022-23), and Jokić (2020-21, 2021-22, 2023-24). Last season was the third in a row where international players finished in the top three of MVP voting: Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder, Canada), and Dončić.
15 international players have been NBA All-Stars, including players like Embiid, Dončić, and Gobert (France), showcasing global talent on the league’s biggest stages.
For the sixth consecutive season, at least five international players were named to the Kia All-NBA Team.

As the 2024-25 NBA season kicks off, fans can look forward to thrilling matchups featuring some of the world’s best international talent. The season opener features Antetokounmpo’s Bucks visiting Embiid’s 76ers on October 24, followed by Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder taking on Jokić and the Nuggets on October 25.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting season—let’s enjoy the best the NBA has to offer!

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