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NBA Players by Country 2024
National Basketball Association (NBA) players are classified as those born in the U.S. and players born outside of the United States, also known as international players. Players from overseas territories are as well classed international.
What Is National Basketball Association (NBA)?
The NBA is a premier men’s professional basketball league in North America. The league comprises 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the top professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
The NBA is a diverse league featuring players from many backgrounds and nationalities. Most players are from the U.S., and within the U.S., there are 50 states or more if you include territories. NBA players come from all over the country: some are born in cities and others in small towns.
US-Born NBA Players
California produces 52 NBA players, which is more than any other state. Furthermore, 18 Californians are active on WNBA rosters, more than any other state. But when population size is taken into consideration, California ranks 20th.
Columbia has more NBA players per capita than any state in the U.S. Though it's not yet officially considered a state, debates are ongoing, and it seems inevitable. Other states that produce the most NBA players per capita include: DC, Delaware, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Arkansas.
NBA Players Born Outside the United States
NBA players born outside of the U.S. are often known as international players. Players born in U.S. overseas territories, like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are considered international players even though they are U.S. citizens.
In some borderline scenarios, the NBA considers whether a player wants to be identified as international or not.
As of the 2021–22 season, Canada produced 57 NBA players—the most foreign NBA players. The list below shows how other foreign countries fared in NBA players by country.
Countries that Have Produced the Most International NBA Players:
- From North America: Canada — 57 players
- From European countries: France — 40 players, Serbia — 30 players.
- From Oceania: Australia — 30 players, New Zealand — 3 players.
- From African countries: Nigeria- — 29 players, Senegal — 12 players
- From Latin American countries: Brazil — 18 players, Argentina — 15 players, Puerto Rico — 15 players.
- From Asian countries: China — 6 players, Japan — 5 players, Lebanon — 4 players
- From transcontinental countries: Turkey — 14 players, Russia — 13 players, Georgia — 11 players in total, 83 players have come
- From the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia): 83 players in total
- From the former Soviet Union (Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine): 54 players in total
- Totals for the United States were calculated by subtracting the total number of international players, 120, from the total number of players signed to regular or two-way contracts on opening night of the 2022-23 season (501).
- NBA rosters change often, with existing players being traded or bought out and new players being signed. As such, totals were accurate at the start of the 2022-23 season but may have changed over the course of the season.