Editing National Basketball Association (section)

===International influence===
{{Further|List of foreign NBA players}}
Following pioneers like [[Vlade Divac]] (Serbia) and [[Dražen Petrović]] (Croatia), who joined the NBA in the late 1980s, an increasing number of international players have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA.<ref>{{cite news |last=Freeman |first=Mike |date=June 9, 1993 |title=Pro Basketball; Details Emerge, but Petrovic's Death Still Baffles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/09/sports/pro-basketball-details-emerge-but-petrovic-s-death-still-baffles.html |work=[[New York Times]] |location= |quote=…Petrovic 'paved the way for other international players to compete successfully in this league.' |access-date=May 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ham |first=James |date=September 5, 2019 |title=How Vlade Divac Made Global Impact, Paved Basketball Hall of Fame Path |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/how_vlade_divac_made_global_impact__paved_basketball_hall_of_fame_path_bay/215090/?amp=1 |work=[[NBC Bay Area]] |location= |quote=His pioneering spirit as one of the first Europeans to transition to the NBA in the late 1980s opened a floodgate that allowed the league to expand to countries around the world. |access-date=May 27, 2024}}</ref> Since 2006, the NBA has faced [[EuroLeague]] teams [[NBA vs. EuroLeague games|in exhibition matches]] in the [[NBA Europe Live Tour]],<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Thomas |editor-first1=Niklas |editor-last2=Neuhas |editor-first2=Till |date=January 3, 2024 |title=Interdisciplinary Analyses of Professional Basketball: Investigating the Hardwood |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1DvsEAAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=[[Springer Nature]] Switzerland |page=281 |isbn=9783031416569}}</ref> and since 2009, in the [[EuroLeague American Tour]]. On November 9, 2007, when the [[Houston Rockets]] with [[Yao Ming]] faced off against the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] with [[Yi Jianlian]], over 200 million people in China watched on 19 different networks, making it the most-viewed game in NBA history.<ref>{{cite book |last=Riess |first=Steven A. |author-link= |date=March 26, 2015 |title=Sports in America from Colonial Times to the Twenty-First Century: An Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DnCsBwAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |page=57 |isbn=9781317459477}}</ref>

The [[2013–14 NBA season|2013–14 season]] opened with a record 92 international players on the opening night rosters, representing 39 countries and comprising over 20 percent of the league.<ref name="Helin2013">{{cite web |url=http://nba.nbcsports.com/2013/10/29/record-92-foreign-players-on-nba-rosters-to-start-season/ |title=Record 92 foreign players on NBA rosters to start season |first=Kurt |last=Helin |date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=December 8, 2016}}</ref> The NBA defines "international" players as those born outside the 50 United States and Washington, D.C. This means that:
* Players born in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]], most notably USVI native [[Tim Duncan]], are counted as "international" even though they are U.S. citizens by birth, and may even have represented the U.S. in international competition (like Duncan).
* U.S.-born players are not counted as "international" even if they were born with citizenship in another country and represent that country internationally, such as [[Joakim Noah]], and [[Kosta Koufos]].

The beginning of the 2017–18 season saw a record 108 international players representing 42 countries marking 4 consecutive years of at least 100 international players and each team having at least one international player.<ref>{{cite press release |title=NBA rosters feature 108 international players from record 42 countries and territories |url=http://www.nba.com/article/2017/10/17/nba-international-players-2017-18-season-record-countries |publisher=National Basketball Association |date=October 17, 2017 |access-date=December 31, 2018}}</ref> In 2018, the [[Phoenix Suns]] hired Serbian coach [[Igor Kokoškov]] as their new head coach, replacing Canadian interim coach [[Jay Triano]], making Kokoškov the first European coach to become a head coach for a team in the NBA.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=May 2, 2018 |title=Phoenix Suns hire Igor Kokoskov as first European-born NBA coach |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/05/02/suns-hire-igor-kokoskov-first-european-born-nba-coach/575475002/ |work=[[USA Today]] |location= |access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref>

In the [[2023–24 NBA season|2023–24 season]], the Mavericks and the Thunder each had eight international players on their roster.<ref name="international expansion">{{Cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38734176/record-125-international-players-nba-opening-night-rosters |title=Record 125 international players on NBA opening-night rosters |date=October 24, 2023 |website=ESPN}}</ref> For six consecutive seasons from [[2018–19 NBA season|2018–19]] to [[2023–24 NBA season|2023–24]], the league's [[NBA Most Valuable Player Award|MVP award]] has been given to an international player.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pasciolla |first=Anthony |date=May 9, 2024 |title=Nikola Jokić marks sixth consecutive international NBA MVP |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/denver-nuggets/news/nba-mvp-international-jokic-giannis-embiid/5d7f1d55e738def69d874324 |work=[[Sporting News]] |location= |access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref>