List of foreign NBA players

In the National Basketball Association foreign NBA players are also known as international players—are those who were born outside of the United States. Players who were born in U.S. overseas territories, such as Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, are considered international players even if they are U.S. citizens. In some borderline cases, the NBA takes into consideration whether a player desires to be identified as international.

Hank Biasatti, who was born in Italy but raised in Canada, was the first international player in the league in 1946. The number of international players in the league rose after the formation of the Dream Team when NBA players were allowed into Olympic play starting in 1992. Global interest in basketball subsequently soared. On opening day of the 1991–92 season, NBA rosters included 23 international players from 18 countries. At the start of the 2013–14 season, there were 92 players from 39 countries and territories. At the start of the 2014–15 season, there were 101 players from 37 countries and territories. At the start of the 2015–16 season, there were 100 players from 37 countries and territories. Most recently, at the start of the 2016–17 season, there was a record-high 113 international players from 41 countries and territories.

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