Multimedia content
- Images (1)
- Record-tying 17 African players on 2024-25 opening-night rosters (Credit: NBA Africa)
- All (1)
Record-Tying 17 Players from Africa among 125 International Players from 43 Countries on Opening-Night National Basketball Association (NBA) Rosters
Opening-night rosters feature at least 120 international players for the fourth consecutive season and at least 100 international players for the 11th straight season
- Fourth Consecutive Season League Features at Least 120 International Players and 11th Consecutive Season with at Least 100 International Players
- All 30 Teams Feature at Least One International Player
- Opening-Night Rosters Feature Record Five Players from Cameroon
The National Basketball Association (NBA) (www.NBA.com) today announced that a record-tying 17 players from Africa are among the 125 international players from 43 countries across six continents on opening-night rosters for the 2024-25 season, including a record five players from Cameroon headlined by 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and seven-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers).
There are also more than 35 players with at least one parent from an African country, including three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat; ties to Nigeria), two-time Kia NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria) and 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs; France; ties to the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Opening-night rosters feature at least 120 international players for the fourth consecutive season and at least 100 international players for the 11th straight season. All 30 NBA teams feature at least one international player.
The records for international players (125) and countries and territories represented (43) were set at the start of the 2023-24 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively.
For the 11th consecutive season, Canada is the most-represented country outside of the U.S. with 21 players, followed by France, Australia, Germany and Serbia (6). There are 61 European players on opening-night rosters, including four members of the 2023-24 Kia All-NBA Team: Antetokounmpo, five-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team member Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), 2023 NBA champion and three-time Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), and three-time NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings; Lithuania).
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers feature a league-high seven international players each, followed by the Atlanta Hawks, Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors with six each.
Below are additional international player milestones and storylines for the upcoming season:
- Three international players have won the last six Kia NBA MVP Awards: Antetokounmpo (2019-20 and 2018-19), Embiid (2022-23) and Jokić (2023-24, 2021-22 and 2020-21). Last season also marked the third consecutive season that three international players finished top three in MVP voting: Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder; Canada) and Dončić. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks visit Embiid and the 76ers on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 1:30 a.m. CAT on ESPN in the season opener for both teams. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder visit Jokić and the Nuggets on Friday, Oct. 25 at 4 a.m. CAT on NBA League Pass 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, Gilgeous-Alexander, Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves; France), Al Horford (Boston Celtics; Dominican Republic), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks; Australia), Jokić, Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz; Finland), Kristaps Porziņģis (Celtics; Latvia), Sabonis, Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; 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 2024-25 NBA GM Survey (http://apo-opa.co/4ePLTYv), Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 1), Dončić (No. 2), and Embiid and Jokić (T- No. 3 with the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum) were voted as the players most likely to win the 2024-25 Kia NBA MVP Award (40%, 30% and 7% of votes, respectively).
- Four international players were voted as the players GMs would most want to sign if they were starting a franchise today: Wembanyama (77% of votes), Gilgeous-Alexander (10% of votes), Jokić (10% of votes) and Dončić (3% of votes). Wembanyama and the Spurs visit Dončić and the Mavericks on Oct. 25 at 1:30 a.m. CAT on Canal+ in the season opener for both teams.
The 79th NBA regular season tips off tonight with a doubleheader on Canal+ and will reach fans in 214 countries and territories in 60 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. In the first game, Horford and the defending NBA champion Celtics will receive their championship rings before hosting OG Anunoby (United Kingdom; ties to Nigeria), Towns and the Knicks (1:30 a.m. CAT). In the second game, Gobert and the Timberwolves visit Rui Hachimura (Japan) and the Los Angeles Lakers (4 a.m. CAT).
Below is the full list of international players on 2024-25 opening-night rosters (active and inactive):
|
Country |
Name |
Team |
Ties |
|
Angola |
Bruno Fernando |
Toronto Raptors |
|
|
Australia |
Dyson Daniels |
Atlanta Hawks |
|
|
Australia |
Ben Simmons |
Brooklyn Nets |
|
|
Australia |
Josh Green |
Charlotte Hornets |
|
|
Australia |
Josh Giddey |
Chicago Bulls |
|
|
Australia |
Luke Travers* |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
|
|
Australia |
Danté Exum |
Dallas Mavericks |
|
|
Australia |
Kyrie Irving |
Dallas Mavericks |
|
|
Australia |
Jack McVeigh* |
Houston Rockets |
|
|
Australia |
Jock Landale |
Houston Rockets |
|
|
Australia |
Johnny Furphy |
Indiana Pacers |
Ties to Papua New Guinea |
|
Australia |
Joe Ingles |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
|
|
Australia |
Alex Ducas* |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
|
Australia |
Patty Mills |
Utah Jazz |
|
|
Austria |
Jakob Poeltl |
Toronto Raptors |
|
|
Bahamas |
Buddy Hield |
Golden State Warriors |
|
|
Bahamas |
Kai Jones* |
LA Clippers |
|
|
Bahamas |
Deandre Ayton |
Portland Trail Blazers |
Ties to Nigeria |
|
Belgium |
Ajay Mitchell* |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
|
Belgium |
Toumani Camara |
Portland Trail Blazers |
Ties to Mali |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Karlo Matković |
New Orleans Pelicans |
Ties to Croatia |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Jusuf Nurkić |
Phoenix Suns |
|
|
Brazil |
Gui Santos |
Golden State Warriors |
|
|
Cameroon |
Pascal Siakam |
Indiana Pacers |
|
|
Cameroon |
Christian Koloko* |
Los Angeles Lakers |
|
|
Cameroon |
Yves Missi |
New Orleans Pelicans |
|
|
Cameroon |
Joel Embiid |
Philadelphia 76ers |
|
|
Cameroon |
Ulrich Chomche* |
Toronto Raptors |
|
|
Canada |
Tristan Thompson |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
|
|
Canada |
Dwight Powell |
Dallas Mavericks |
|
|
Canada |
Olivier-Maxence Prosper |
Dallas Mavericks |
Ties to Haiti |
|
Canada |
Jamal Murray |
Denver Nuggets |
|
|
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 |
Brandon Clarke |
Memphis Grizzlies |
|
|
Canada |
Zach Edey |
Memphis Grizzlies |
|
|
Canada |
Leonard Miller |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
|
|
Canada |
Nickeil Alexander-Walker |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
|
|
Canada |
Luguentz Dort |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
|
Canada |
Caleb Houstan |
Orlando Magic |
|
|
Canada |
Cory Joseph |
Orlando Magic |
Ties to Trinidad and Tobago |
|
Canada |
Dalano Banton |
Portland Trail Blazers |
|
|
Canada |
Shaedon Sharpe |
Portland Trail Blazers |
|
|
Canada |
Trey Lyles |
Sacramento Kings |
|
|
Canada |
Kelly Olynyk |
Toronto Raptors |
|
|
Canada |
RJ Barrett |
Toronto Raptors |
|
|
Canada |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
|
China |
Yongxi Cui* |
Brooklyn Nets |
|
|
Croatia |
Bojan Bogdanović |
Brooklyn Nets |
|
|
Croatia |
Dario Šarić |
Denver Nuggets |
|
|
Croatia |
Ivica Zubac |
LA Clippers |
|
|
Czech Republic |
Vít Krejčí |
Atlanta Hawks |
|
|
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Jonathan Kuminga |
Golden State Warriors |
|
|
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Oscar Tshiebwe* |
Utah Jazz |
|
|
Dominican Republic |
Al Horford |
Boston Celtics |
|
|
Dominican Republic |
Chris Duarte |
Chicago Bulls |
|
|
Finland |
Lauri Markkanen |
Utah Jazz |
|
|
France |
Zaccharie Risacher |
Atlanta Hawks |
|
|
France |
Moussa Diabaté* |
Charlotte Hornets |
Ties to Guinea and Mali |
|
France |
Tidjane Salaün |
Charlotte Hornets |
|
|
France |
Nicolas Batum |
LA Clippers |
Ties to Cameroon |
|
France |
Armel Traoré* |
Los Angeles Lakers |
Ties to Mali |
|
France |
Rudy Gobert |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
|
|
France |
Pacôme Dadiet |
New York Knicks |
Ties to Côte d'Ivoire |
|
France |
Ousmane Dieng |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
Ties to Senegal |
|
France |
Guerschon Yabusele |
Philadelphia 76ers |
Ties to the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|
France |
Rayan Rupert |
Portland Trail Blazers |
Ties to Morocco |
|
France |
Sidy Cissoko |
San Antonio Spurs |
Ties to Senegal |
|
France |
Victor Wembanyama |
San Antonio Spurs |
Ties to the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|
France |
Alex Sarr |
Washington Wizards |
Ties to Senegal |
|
France |
Bilal Coulibaly |
Washington Wizards |
Ties to Mali |
|
Georgia |
Goga Bitadze |
Orlando Magic |
|
|
Georgia |
Sandro Mamukelashvili |
San Antonio Spurs |
|
|
Germany |
Dennis Schröder |
Brooklyn Nets |
Ties to The Gambia |
|
Germany |
Maxi Kleber |
Dallas Mavericks |
|
|
Germany |
Daniel Theis |
New Orleans Pelicans |
|
|
Germany |
Ariel Hukporti* |
New York Knicks |
Ties to Togo |
|
Germany |
Isaiah Hartenstein |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
|
Germany |
Tristan da Silva |
Orlando Magic |
|
|
Germany |
Franz Wagner |
Orlando Magic |
|
|
Germany |
Moritz Wagner |
Orlando Magic |
|
|
Greece |
Giannis Antetokounmpo |
Milwaukee Bucks |
Ties to Nigeria |
|
Israel |
Deni Avdija |
Portland Trail Blazers |
|
|
Italy |
Simone Fontecchio |
Detroit Pistons |
|
|
Jamaica |
Nick Richards |
Charlotte Hornets |
|
|
Japan |
Rui Hachimura |
Los Angeles Lakers |
Ties to Benin |
|
Japan |
Yuki Kawamura* |
Memphis Grizzlies |
|
|
Latvia |
Kristaps Porziņģis |
Boston Celtics |
|
|
Lithuania |
Domantas Sabonis |
Sacramento Kings |
|
|
Lithuania |
Jonas Valančiūnas |
Washington Wizards |
|
|
Mali |
Adama Sanogo* |
Chicago Bulls |
|
|
Mali |
N'Faly Dante* |
Houston Rockets |
|
|
Montenegro |
Nikola Vučević |
Chicago Bulls |
|
|
Netherlands |
Quinten Post* |
Golden State Warriors |
|
|
Netherlands |
Jesse Edwards* |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
|
|
New Zealand |
Steven Adams |
Houston Rockets |
|
|
Nigeria |
Precious Achiuwa |
New York Knicks |
|
|
Nigeria |
Adem Bona |
Philadelphia 76ers |
Ties to Turkey |
|
Nigeria |
Josh Okogie |
Phoenix Suns |
|
|
Nigeria |
Charles Bassey |
San Antonio Spurs |
|
|
Portugal |
Neemias Queta |
Boston Celtics |
Ties to Guinea-Bissau |
|
Senegal |
Mouhamed Gueye |
Atlanta Hawks |
|
|
Serbia |
Bogdan Bogdanović |
Atlanta Hawks |
|
|
Serbia |
Vasilije Micić |
Charlotte Hornets |
|
|
Serbia |
Nikola Jokić |
Denver Nuggets |
|
|
Serbia |
Nikola Jović |
Miami Heat |
|
|
Serbia |
Nikola Topić |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
|
|
Serbia |
Tristan Vukčević |
Washington Wizards |
Ties to Sweden |
|
Slovenia |
Vlatko Čančar |
Denver Nuggets |
|
|
Slovenia |
Luka Dončić |
Dallas Mavericks |
|
|
South Sudan |
Duop Reath |
Portland Trail Blazers |
Ties to Australia |
|
Spain |
Santi Aldama |
Memphis Grizzlies |
|
|
St. Lucia |
Chris Boucher |
Toronto Raptors |
Ties to Canada |
|
Sudan |
Bol Bol |
Phoenix Suns |
|
|
Sweden |
Bobi Klintman |
Detroit Pistons |
|
|
Sweden |
Pelle Larsson |
Miami Heat |
|
|
Switzerland |
Clint Capela |
Atlanta Hawks |
Ties to Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|
Switzerland |
Kyshawn George |
Washington Wizards |
Ties to Canada and France |
|
Turkey |
Alperen Sengun |
Houston Rockets |
|
|
Ukraine |
Alex Len |
Sacramento Kings |
|
|
Ukraine |
Svi Mykhailiuk |
Utah Jazz |
|
|
United Kingdom |
OG Anunoby |
New York Knicks |
Ties to Nigeria |
|
United Kingdom |
Jeremy Sochan |
San Antonio Spurs |
Ties to Poland |
* - Two-Way Player
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
Record-tying 17 African players on 2024-25 opening-night rosters (Credit: NBA Africa)
Contact:
Pawel Weszka
NBA Africa PR & Communications
pweszka@nba.com
+27 10 0072666