NBA opens 2026-27 season with record 60-plus players of African heritage
Image by NBA & Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
The NBA has started its 2026-27 season with more than 60 players on opening-night rosters who were either born in Africa or have at least one African-born parent, the most in league history. More than 25 of them have Nigerian ties, which makes Nigeria the continent’s biggest contributor to the league by some distance.
The figure is up from more than 55 at the start of last season. It comes even as the league’s overall international count fell, from a record 135 players last season to 125 this year. Those 125 come from a record-tying 43 countries across six continents. It is the sixth straight season with at least 120 international players and the 13th straight with at least 100.
African-heritage group includes some of the league’s most marketable names
Three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, both of Nigerian descent, now play together at the Miami Heat after Antetokounmpo’s trade from Milwaukee in June. Also on the list are two-time champion OG Anunoby of the defending champion New York Knicks (UK; Nigerian ties), 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers (Cameroon) and four-time All-Star Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers (Cameroon). AJ Dybantsa, this year’s No. 1 overall pick, joins the Washington Wizards with ties to the Republic of the Congo.
By nationality, France leads with 17 international players, the first time in 13 seasons a country other than Canada has topped the list. Canada has 16, followed by Australia (nine), Germany (seven), Nigeria (a record six) and Serbia (six). The Dallas Mavericks, Miami and Washington each carry a league-high seven international players.
The NBA’s own roster list shows how the record is made up
Seventeen players represent African countries, from Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, DR Congo, South Sudan and Guinea. Another 23 represent other countries but have an African-born parent, 12 of them French, including Washington’s Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly. The rest are American-born, Adebayo and Dybantsa among them. Five of the 17 African nationals are on two-way contracts, which split time between the NBA and its G League.
African nationals on 2026-27 opening-night rosters
Source: NBA
Includes active and inactive players. Players who represent other countries but have African parentage, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) and OG Anunoby (UK), are not included in this table. The NBA’s full list of 125 international players is available on NBA.com
*Two-way player. Source: NBA
| Country | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
 Nigeria | Ugonna Onyenso* | Detroit Pistons |
| Nigeria | Charles Bassey | Golden State Warriors |
| Nigeria | Adem Bona | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Nigeria | Precious Achiuwa | Sacramento Kings |
| Nigeria | Josh Okogie | Utah Jazz |
| Nigeria | Felix Okpara* | Washington Wizards |
 Cameroon | Pascal Siakam | Indiana Pacers |
| Cameroon | Yves Missi | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Cameroon | Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers |
 Senegal | Mouhamed Gueye | Atlanta Hawks |
| Senegal | Khalifa Diop | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Senegal | Tacko Fall* | Philadelphia 76ers |
 DR Congo | Oscar Tshiebwe* | Houston Rockets |
| DR Congo | Jonathan Kuminga | Minnesota Timberwolves |
 South Sudan | Khaman Maluach | Phoenix Suns |
| South Sudan | Duop Reath* | Phoenix Suns |
 Guinea | Moussa Cissé | Dallas Mavericks |
*Two-way player. Source: NBA. Includes active and inactive players.
Nigeria’s figures follow the same pattern as the wider group
There are six Nigerian nationals among more than 25 players with Nigerian ties. Most of the continent’s NBA talent is still developed in the American and European systems, with heritage rather than local development connecting it back to Africa. The NBA’s own on-continent pathway has also narrowed. Earlier this month, BOSA reported the closure of NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, with elite development moving to a new NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi. Phoenix’s Khaman Maluach, one of the 17 African nationals in the league this season, came through the Saly academy. With the academy gone, more of the burden of building a home-grown route to the NBA falls on the Basketball Africa League and its clubs.
