NEW YORK — The NBA's 70th season begins with 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.
Opening night is Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), and all 30 teams will have at least one international player on the roster for the second consecutive year. Toronto leads the league with seven while Cleveland, Minnesota, San Antonio and Utah have six each.
The league says a record 10 African and nine Brazilian players are on rosters. Canada leads with 12 players, followed by France with 10. There are eight players from Australia. Croatia and Spain round out the top five with four players each.
Among the prominent international players set to make their NBA debuts this week: Orlando's Mario Hezonja of Croatia, Denver's Emmanuel Mudiay of Congo and the Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia.