NBA opening-night rosters feature 108 international players from 38 countries and territories

Official Release

NBA opening-night rosters feature 108 international players from 38 countries and territories image

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2019 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 108 international players from 38 countries and territories are on opening-night rosters for the 2019-20 season, marking the sixth consecutive season that opening-night rosters feature at least 100 international players.  

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

This year’s 108 international players are more than four times the 24 international players on opening-night rosters for the 1994-95 season 25 years ago. Opening-night rosters also feature a record 16 Canadian players - the most players from a non-U.S. country ever on opening-night rosters.

The most-represented countries among the 108 international players on opening-night rosters are Canada (16 players), Australia (nine players), France (eight players), Croatia (seven players) and Serbia (six players).  Canada saw a record six players selected in the NBA Draft 2019 presented by State Farm®, surpassing the previous record for most draftees from a non-U.S. country (five) set by France in 2016.  

The Dallas Mavericks have an NBA-high seven international players.  The Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers each have six, while the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards each have five.  

The NBA’s 74th season begins tonight with a doubleheader on TNT as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2019.  In the opening game, the defending NBA Champion Toronto Raptors will host the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. ET.  In the second game, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the LA Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET.  

In addition to the 108 international players on 2019-20 opening-night rosters, there are a record 11 international players from eight countries on “two-way” contracts.  

A record 30 former Basketball Without Borders (BWB) campers are on opening-night rosters, surpassing the previous record of 28 set last season.  Former BWB campers include RJ Barrett (New York Knicks; Canada; BWB Global 2017), Marc Gasol (Raptors; Spain; BWB Europe 2003) and Joel Embiid (76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011).  BWB is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program that has seen 69 former campers drafted into the NBA or signed as free agents since 2001.

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

  • There are 11 international players on opening-night rosters who have been NBA All-Stars: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece), Goran Dragić (Miami Heat; Slovenia), Embiid, Al Horford (76ers; Dominican Republic), Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol (Portland Trail Blazers; Spain), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets; Australia), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), Kristaps Porzingis (Mavericks; Latvia), Ben Simmons (76ers; Australia) and Nikola Vučević (Orlando Magic; Montenegro). 
  • Four of the five players who won 2018-19 Kia NBA Performance Awards were international: Antetokounmpo (Kia NBA Most Valuable Player), Luka Dončić (Kia NBA Rookie of the Year; Mavericks; Slovenia), Pascal Siakam (Kia NBA Most Improved Player; Raptors; Cameroon) and Rudy Gobert (Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year; Jazz; France).
  • As part of the NBA.com 2019-20 GM Survey, Antetokounmpo was voted the No. 1 player most likely to win the MVP (52% of votes) and the No. 1 player with whom general managers would want to start a franchise (86% of votes).  Jokić (48%) and Embiid (28%) were voted the best centers in the NBA. 
  • Rui Hachimura (Wizards; Japan) and Yuta Watanabe (two-way player for the Grizzlies; Japan) are seeking to make history as the first two Japanese players to play in the NBA during the same season.
  • Bruno Fernando (Atlanta Hawks) is seeking to become the first player from Angola to play in an NBA game.
  • There are three sets of international brothers on opening-night rosters: Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Greece); Marc and Pau Gasol (Spain); Willy and Juancho Hernangómez (Spain).

Below please find the full list of international players on 2019-20 opening-night rosters (active and inactive):

Country First Name Last Name NBA Team
Angola Bruno Fernando Atlanta Hawks
Australia Aron Baynes Phoenix Suns
Australia Jonah Bolden Philadelphia 76ers
Australia Ryan Broekhoff Dallas Mavericks
Australia Matthew Dellavedova Cleveland Cavaliers
Australia Dante Exum Utah Jazz
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
Bosnia and Herzegovina Dzanan Musa Brooklyn Nets
Bosnia and Herzegovina Jusuf Nurkić Portland Trail Blazers
Brazil Bruno Caboclo* Memphis Grizzlies
Brazil Cristiano Felicio Chicago Bulls
Brazil Raul Neto Philadelphia 76ers
Brazil Nene   Houston Rockets
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 Chris Boucher Toronto Raptors
Canada Ignas Brazdeikis* New York Knicks
Canada Dillon Brooks Memphis Grizzlies
Canada Brandon Clarke Memphis Grizzlies
Canada Cory Joseph Sacramento Kings
Canada Mfiondu Kabengele LA Clippers
Canada Trey Lyles San Antonio Spurs
Canada Jamal Murray* Denver Nuggets
Canada Kelly Olynyk* Miami Heat
Canada Dwight Powell Dallas Mavericks
Canada Tristan Thompson Cleveland Cavaliers
Canada Andrew Wiggins Minnesota Timberwolves
Canada Shai Gilgeous-Alexander* Oklahoma City Thunder
Croatia Luka Šamanić* San Antonio Spurs
Croatia Dragan Bender* Milwaukee Bucks
Croatia Bojan Bogdanović Utah Jazz
Croatia Mario Hezonja Portland Trail Blazers
Croatia Dario Šarić* Phoenix Suns
Croatia Ante Žižić* Cleveland Cavaliers
Croatia Ivica Zubac LA Clippers
Czech Republic Tomáš Satoranský* Chicago Bulls
Democratic Republic of the Congo Bismack Biyombo Charlotte Hornets
Democratic Republic of the Congo Emmanuel Mudiay Utah Jazz
Dominican Republic Al Horford Philadelphia 76ers
Egypt Abdel Nader Oklahoma City Thunder
Finland Lauri Markkanen* Chicago Bulls
France Nicolas Batum* Charlotte Hornets
France Sekou Doumbouya* Detroit Pistons
France Evan Fournier Orlando Magic
France Rudy Gobert Utah Jazz
France Ian Mahinmi Washington Wizards
France Frank Ntilikina* New York Knicks
France Vincent Poirier Boston Celtics
France Élie Okobo Phoenix Suns
Georgia Goga Bitadze* Indiana Pacers
Germany Isaac Bonga* Washington Wizards
Germany Maxi Kleber Dallas Mavericks
Germany Dennis Schröder Oklahoma City Thunder
Germany Daniel Theis Boston Celtics
Germany Moritz Wagner Washington Wizards
Greece Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks
Greece Thanasis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks
Haiti Skal Labissière Portland Trail Blazers
Italy Marco Belinelli* San Antonio Spurs
Italy Danilo Gallinari* Oklahoma City Thunder
Italy Nicolò Melli New Orleans Pelicans
Japan Rui Hachimura* Washington Wizards
Latvia Davis Bertans Washington Wizards
Latvia Kristaps Porziņģis Dallas Mavericks
Latvia Rodions Kurucs Brooklyn Nets
Lithuania Domantas Sabonis Indiana Pacers
Lithuania Jonas Valančiūnas* Memphis Grizzlies
Mali Cheick Diallo Phoenix Suns
Montenegro Nikola Vučević Orlando Magic
New Zealand Steven Adams Oklahoma City Thunder
Nigeria Josh Okogie Minnesota Timberwolves
Puerto Rico J.J. Barea Dallas Mavericks
Republic of the Congo Serge Ibaka Toronto Raptors
Senegal Gorgui Dieng* Minnesota Timberwolves
Serbia Nemanja Bjelica Sacramento Kings
Serbia Bogdan Bogdanović Sacramento Kings
Serbia Marko Gudurić Memphis Grizzlies
Serbia Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets
Serbia Boban Marjanović Dallas Mavericks
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* Detroit Pistons
South Sudan Wenyen Gabriel Sacramento Kings
Spain Pau Gasol Portland Trail Blazers
Spain Marc Gasol* Toronto Raptors
Spain Juancho Hernangómez Denver Nuggets
Spain Willy Hernangómez* Charlotte Hornets
Spain Ricky Rubio Phoenix Suns
Switzerland Clint Capela Houston Rockets
Switzerland Thabo Sefolosha Houston Rockets
Turkey Ersan Ilyasova Milwaukee Bucks
Turkey Enes Kanter* Boston Celtics
Turkey Furkan Korkmaz Philadelphia 76ers
Turkey Cedi Osman Cleveland Cavaliers
Ukraine Alex Len Atlanta Hawks
Ukraine Svi Mykhailiuk Detroit Pistons
United Kingdom OG Anunoby Toronto Raptors

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

Country First Name Last Name NBA Team
Antigua and Barbuda Norvel Pelle Philadelphia 76ers
Canada Naz Mitrou-Long Indiana Pacers
Canada Luguentz Dort* Oklahoma City Thunder
Canada Marial Shayok Philadelphia 76ers
Canada Oshae Brissett Toronto Raptors
France Adam Mokoka Chicago Bulls
Gabon Chris Silva Miami Heat
Greece Kostas Antetokounmpo Los Angeles Lakers
Japan Yuta Watanabe Memphis Grizzlies
Senegal Tacko Fall Boston Celtics
Sudan Bol Bol Denver Nuggets

Official Release