Opening-night rosters for the 2025-26 National Basketball Association (NBA) season will feature more than 55 players born in Africa or with at least one parent from the continent, part of a record 135 international players from 43 countries.
This marks the fifth straight season with at least 120 international players and the 12th with at least 100. All 30 teams have at least one international player.
The African contingent includes stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece, Nigerian parents), a two-time M.V.P.; Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon), the 2022-23 M.V.P.; Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; Cameroon), a 2019 champion; and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs; France, Congolese father), last season’s rookie of the year.
Other notable players:
- Cameroon’s Yves Missi (New Orleans Pelicans) and Christian Koloko (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Congo’s Bismack Biyombo (Spurs) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Utah Jazz);
- Mali’s N’Faly Dante (Atlanta Hawks)
- Senegal’s Mouhamed Gueye and Eli Ndiaye (Hawks)
- South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach (Phoenix Suns) and Duop Reath (Portland Trail Blazers)
- Nigeria’s Josh Okogie (Houston Rockets) and Adem Bona (76ers).
Players with African ties via other nationalities include Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves; France), Nicolas Batum (Clippers; France), Ousmane Dieng (Thunder; France), Clint Capela (Rockets; Switzerland), Toumani Camara (Trail Blazers; Belgium), and Moussa Diabaté (Hornets; France).
African-linked players have won four of the last seven M.V.P. awards. Last season’s top three M.V.P. finishers were international, a streak of four years. At least three have made the All-N.B.A. team each year since 2018-19.
In the N.B.A. G.M. Survey, Wembanyama led as the top franchise player (83 percent of votes), followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (13 percent). For M.V.P., Nikola Jokić led, with Wembanyama fourth.
A record nine NBA Academy alumni and more than 50 Basketball Without Borders participants are on rosters, many of whom are African.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
