Jamaican center Nick Richards is among a record 135 players born outside the United States who will feature on NBA opening-night rosters as the 2025–26 season tips off on Tuesday night.
Richards, who joined the Phoenix Suns last season, will line up for the team’s opener against the Sacramento Kings.
This year marks the 12th consecutive season that NBA opening-night rosters have included at least 100 international players, representing 43 countries across the league. The new figure surpasses the previous record of 125 international players set at the start of the 2023–24 campaign.
For a 12th straight season, Canada leads all countries outside the U.S. with 23 players, including MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who guided the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA championship in June. France follows with 19 players, while Australia (13), Germany (7), and Serbia (6) round out the top five.
The Atlanta Hawks boast a record-tying 10 international players, with the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors each featuring seven. The NBA also confirmed a record 71 European players on opening-night rosters, a group highlighted by stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Nikola Jokić (Serbia), Luka Dončić (Slovenia), and Victor Wembanyama (France).
The 2025–26 NBA season gets underway with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder taking on a new-look Houston Rockets side led by Kevin Durant, followed by a marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at the Crypto.com Arena.
