Mutual attraction
The NBA’s continuing courtship with players from abroad
Fred Jeter | 12/29/2022, 6 p.m.
The United States is a big place, but the world is much bigger.
So, it’s no surprise the National Basketball Association began this season with a record 120 international players representing 40 countries and six continents.
It marks the ninth straight year the NBA has had at least 100 foreign-born players.
Of that, two represent the last four Kia MVPs — Nikola Jokic (from Serbia, Denver Nuggets) in 2021 and ’22, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, Milwaukee Bucks) in 2019 and ’20.
Joel Embiid (Cameroon, Philadelphia 76ers) is a six-time all-Star, the 2022 scoring champion and the MVP runner-up the past two seasons.
Fourteen of the 120 are former NBAAll-Stars. Expect that total to rise with this winter’s All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. All 30 teams have at least one player who is from outside the U.S.
With that, do I hear International Basketball Association?
The largest number of international players come from Canada (22), Australia (10), France (9), Germany (6) and Nigeria, Serbia and Spain (five each).
Europe is the top continent for producing international talent with 58 rostered NBA players.
The Toronto Raptors have the most foreign-born players (8) followed by Dallas, Indiana and Sacramento (7 each).
Closer to Richmond, the Washington Wizards have two international players — Deni Avdija from Israel and Kristaps Porzingas from Latvia. Both are former first round draft picks.
