Record Number of International Players on Opening Night of the NBA

The NBA announced on Tuesday that a record 125 players born outside the United States, representing 40 countries and regions across six continents, are included in the player rosters for the league's opening night. The new season of the NBA kicks off today, marking the tenth consecutive year in which at least 100 international players are on the opening night rosters. The previous record for international players was 121, set at the start of the 2017-2018 season and matched at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season. Canada leads once again as the country with the most international players, totaling 26. France follows in second place with 14 players, including Victor Wembanyama, the highly anticipated player expected to become a future star in the league. He will make his debut in a preseason game with the San Antonio Spurs against the Dallas Mavericks tomorrow, Wednesday. In total, the rosters include 64 European players, among them Serbian Nikola Jokic, a two-time MVP who hopes to lead his team, the Denver Nuggets, to retain the league title.