NBA opens 2026-27 with 125 international players from 43 countries: 10 below the record, with the country count tied
The short version
The NBA opened 2026-27 with 125 international players from 43 countries and territories, per NBA.com. That is 10 below the record of 135 set a year earlier, while the country count ties the record from 2017-18. France leads with 17 players, ahead of Canada with 16.
This post is dated October 31, 2026. The NBA published its international players report on October 20, 2026, and the contract rules behind how these players arrive are in the guide to how international players reach the NBA, with the camps and academies that feed them in the Basketball Without Borders and NBA Academy guide.
How many international players did the NBA open 2026-27 with?
The league opened with 125 international players from 43 countries and territories across six continents, per NBA.com. The list covers opening-night rosters, active and inactive, and it marks two-way players with an asterisk, per NBA.com. International players were 24.1% of all players, per NBA.com roster numbers.
The NBA's page does not define the term "international player." For the draft, the collective bargaining agreement uses its own definition, covered in the draft eligibility guide, and the page does not say whether the report uses it. Treat the count as the NBA's own list.
Is 125 a record?
No. The record for international players is 135, set at the start of 2025-26, so 125 is 10 below it, per NBA.com. The record-tying number is the 43 countries and territories, which matches the mark set at the start of 2017-18, per NBA.com. A description of 125 players as record-tying is incorrect.
| Measure | 2026-27 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| International players | 125 | 10 below the record of 135 |
| Countries and territories | 43 | Ties the 2017-18 record |
| International All-Stars on rosters | 19 | Record |
| Born in Africa or with an African-born parent | More than 60 | Record |
| European players | 70 | Same as last season, second time ever |
The streaks are longer than the peaks. This is the sixth straight season with at least 120 international players and the 13th straight with at least 100, per NBA.com. The African figure includes American-born players who have at least one African-born parent, so it is not a count of players who came from Africa.
Which countries have the most international players, and which teams?
France leads with 17 players, the first country other than Canada to lead the league in 13 seasons, per NBA.com. Canada has 16, Australia 9, Germany 7, and Nigeria and Serbia 6 each, per NBA.com. More than 30 players are from Nigeria or have a Nigerian parent, per NBA.com.
All 30 teams have at least one international player. Miami, Dallas and Washington have seven each, the league high, per NBA.com. Four international players have won the last eight MVP awards: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, Embiid and Antetokounmpo, per NBA.com. The 125 is a snapshot of one night, and rosters change with waivers, trades and two-way moves.
What does the report say about how these players arrived?
Very little directly. The one route figure in the report is that more than 45 opening-night players took part in Basketball Without Borders, per NBA.com. The page does not say how many of those are among the 125, so the figure is a program count, explained in the program guide.
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The NBA's separate roster page gives league-wide data that is not split by origin: 106 undrafted players (20.4%) and 276 players with G League experience, a record 53.2%, per NBA.com roster numbers. Those figures show that the draft is not the only door, and they do not show how the 125 entered. Separately, Reuters reported on October 1, 2026 that the NBA closed its academy in Senegal, per Reuters via CP24, and the program guide covers that change.
What should players and families take from the numbers?
The report shows a sixth straight season at or above 120 international players, and it shows the total is not rising. The total fell 10 from the record, the European count held at 70, and the 125 players are 24.1% of the league, per NBA.com. The draft is only one way in, and each route has its own rules.
- Check draft timing in the NBA draft eligibility guide before planning a year.
- Read an overseas contract against the NBA buyout rule, covered in the international pathways guide.
- Compare salary floors for each path in the guide to playing professionally.
Sources
- NBA.com: International players on 2026-27 opening-night rosters
- NBA.com: 2026-27 rosters by the numbers
- Reuters via CP24: NBA closes sole training academy in Africa
Data current as of October 31, 2026. Figures are linked where each one appears. Leagues and regulators update these rules; check the source before relying on a number.
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