NBA tips off 2013-14 season with record international player presence

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NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2013 – A record-breaking 92 international players from 40 countries and territories feature on opening-night rosters for the 2013-14 NBA season. The previous opening-night record was set in the 2010-11 season with 84 players from 38 countries and territories.  Twenty-seven of the 30 teams feature at least one international player.

The San Antonio Spurs break the record for the most international players on a team roster with 10; last season’s opening-night roster featured eight.  The Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves follow with six international players each, and the Milwaukee Bucks have five.  Seven teams have four international players and seven teams have three such players.

Once again, France is the most represented country with nine players, and Canada follows with eight.  Australia and Spain each have five players on team rosters, with Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Russia, and Turkey each having four.  Four countries have their strongest representation ever – Australia (five), Israel (two), Italy (four), and Russia (four), with Macedonia making a first appearance on the list.

The San Antonio Spurs retain the title for the most internationally diverse team, with seven countries represented on their roster.

At the end of the 2012-13 regular season, the NBA featured 85 international players from 36 countries and territories on team rosters (both active and inactive).