France leads NBA opening-night rosters with 17 players, Canada has 16

France has placed 17 players on NBA opening-night rosters, the most of any international country this season. Canada, which has led international representation in recent years, has 16 players on rosters. The league's opening-night lists feature a record-tying 125 international players from 43 countries. Every NBA team has at least one international player, with the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards leading with seven each.

Of the 125 international players, 70 are from Europe. Australia follows France and Canada with nine players on opening-night rosters. Germany has seven players, while Nigeria and Serbia each have six. International players have won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in each of the last eight seasons, including Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025 and 2026.

Three NBA teams feature two Canadian players on their rosters. The Atlanta Hawks have Luguentz Dort and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Denver Nuggets have Jamal Murray and Ryan Nembhard, and the Memphis Grizzlies have Zach Edey and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. RJ Barrett is the only Canadian currently on the Toronto Raptors roster. Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic could set a record this season if he finishes in the top two of MVP voting for a seventh consecutive year. Jokic won the award in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and was second in 2022, 2025 and 2026. He is the third player with six consecutive top-two finishes, joining Boston Celtics legends Bill Russell and Larry Bird.

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The season will feature several notable return games for players visiting former teams. On Oct. 21, Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. returns to Memphis. Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James returns to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Dec. 25. Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to Milwaukee on Jan. 28. Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant returns to Memphis on Feb. 6.

Several players are approaching significant career milestones. Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden is 661 points from becoming the ninth player in NBA history with 30,000. He is also 127 assists away from becoming the 11th player with 9,000. Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant is 1,046 points away from matching Kobe Bryant for fourth on the NBA's career scoring list. Denver Nuggets forward DeMar DeRozan enters the season 16th on the scoring list, while Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is 19th. Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson is 74 three-pointers from tying Ray Allen for third on the all-time list. Denver's Jokic, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Oklahoma City's Gilgeous-Alexander are among the international players who have won the last eight MVP awards.

Coaches are also approaching milestones. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is scheduled to coach his 2,000th regular-season game on March 8 against Charlotte. He is 30 wins from tying Rick Adelman for 10th-most in NBA history. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is two wins shy of tying Cotton Fitzsimmons for 16th on the all-time list for coaches.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr will likely climb into the top 25 on the coaching wins list. Kerr enters the season 28th with 603 regular-season victories. The Indiana Pacers' first win this season will be the franchise's 2,000th regular-season victory since joining the NBA. The Pacers also had 427 regular-season wins in their ABA era.

The Orlando Magic's 33rd game of the season, scheduled for Dec. 31 at Indiana, will be the 3,000th regular-season contest in franchise history. The New Orleans Pelicans' 68th game, set for March 12 at home against Toronto, will be their 2,000th. The Los Angeles Lakers' 34th game this season, on Dec. 31 at New Orleans, will be their 7,000th in franchise history including playoffs.

With files from Sportsnet