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The NBA’s 2025-26 Regular Season kicks off on Tuesday with two matchups, featuring Luka Doncic embarking on his inaugural full season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
This Slovenian sensation is joined by Serbian Nikola Jokic and Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo as key figures in a record-setting group of 71 European players included in the opening night lineups. This impressive representation contributes to a total of 135 international athletes from 43 countries, marking a new milestone for the league.
The strong European presence is bolstered by several prominent players who excelled in the recent EuroBasket 2025, including MVP Dennis Schroder, Alperen Sengun, and Franz Wagner.
The New York Knicks feature six players from Europe, among them three French athletes: Guerschon Yabusele, Mohamed Diawara, and Pacome Dadiet. Additionally, five European players will kick off the season with the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. Four players from Europe are listed on the rosters of the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards.
In terms of coaching talent, three European head coaches are set to take the reins, with Spaniard Jordi Fernandez leading the Nets, Finnish Tuomas Iisalo managing the Memphis Grizzlies, and Serbian Darko Rajakovic helming the Toronto Raptors.
This expanding European representation aligns with the league’s ambitions to establish a premier competition in Europe. In partnership with FIBA, the new European league, tentatively called NBA Europe, is anticipated to be launched in 2027.
The opening night will commence at Paycom Center, where the defending champion Thunder will face off against the Rockets, before moving to crypto.com Arena, where the Lakers will host the Golden State Warriors.
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