The National Basketball Association (NBA), although based in the United States, has become an increasingly global sport over the last few decades. In the 1980-81 season, fewer than 2 percent of all players in the league were born outside of the US. By the 2004-05 season, 22.1 percent were foreign-born.
At the start of the 2022-23 NBA season, the league’s 30 teams had a combined 120 international players on their rosters. This marks the ninth year in a row in which there were at least 100 non-Americans in the NBA.
These players aren’t just sitting on the bench or playing minor roles. An international player has been named NBA MVP in each of the last five seasons, and all three finalists for the 2022 NBA MVP were born outside of the US.
The following are five of the best international players on NBA rosters for the 2022-23 season.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
The NBA MVP in 2019-20 and 2018-19, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a 7-foot, 242-pound player capable of playing all positions on the floor. Affectionately known as “The Greek Freak,” Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece, to Nigerian parents. His surname is actually Adetokunbo but became Antetokounmpo after it was misspelled on his Greek passport. He was drafted 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and is a seven-time All-Star. He has also been named to the All-Defensive team five times, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20, and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2020-21 after leading the Bucks to its first championship since 1971.
“I grew up in a Nigerian home,” Antetokounmpo said in a feature for Andscape in 2019. “Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture. It’s about discipline, it’s about respecting your elders, having morals.”
Antetokounmpo began playing basketball at 7 years old and, despite his success, wasn’t always projected to be the superstar he became. He averaged just 6.8 points per game during his rookie season. However, he continually improved, eventually winning the Most Improved award—and his first All-Star nod—in 2016-17. He averaged a career-best 31.1 points per game in 2022-23.
2. Nikola Jokic (Serbia)
Like Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic is a two-time NBA MVP who wasn’t projected to be a star player in the league. Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2014, the 6-foot-11, 284-pound Serbian wasn’t selected until the 41st pick. Yet, he’s one of only five All-Stars from the 2014 draft class and leads all players in win shares (94.5).
“The Joker” made the NBA All-Rookie team in 2015-16 after averaging 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He was named NBA MVP in consecutive seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22. In 2021-22, he also averaged career-high marks in points (27.1) and rebounds (13.8). He shot a career-best 63.2 percent from the field while averaging a career-high 9.8 assists per game in 2022-23.
3. Luka Doncic (Slovenia)
A 24-year-old point guard from Slovenia, Luka Doncic came to the NBA as a heralded prospect with plenty of potential. He was selected third overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft and won Rookie of the Year in 2018-19 after averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. The four-time All-Star achieved career-best marks in field goal percentage (49.6), effective field goal percentage (56), steals (1.4), and points (32.4) in 2022-23.
Doncic had already played three seasons of professional basketball for Real Madrid in Spain before coming to the US. He led Slovenia to a 4-2 record at the 2020 Olympics and was the tournament’s leading scorer with 143 points.
4. Joel Embiid (Cameroon)
A 7-foot, 280-pound center from Cameroon, Joel Embiid was the winner of the 2022-23 NBA MVP. This makes it five consecutive years that a non-American has won the prestigious award.
Embiid was selected third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers out of Kansas in the 2014 NBA Draft. He missed the following two seasons due to a foot injury but has since established himself as one of the game’s elite players. He has averaged at least 20 points per game through his first seven seasons in the league and led all players in scoring in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He averaged a career-best 33.1 points in 2022-23.
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada)
One of a record 22 players from Canada in the NBA during the 2022-23 season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was an All-Star for the first time in his career this season and averaged a career-high 31.4 points. Selected by the Charlotte Hornets 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, he was subsequently dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he played during his rookie season. Gilgeous-Alexander was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2019 as part of a package for Paul George.