Olympics’ 81 NBA Players Highlight League’s Global Investment

“I don’t know anything about Angola, but Angola’s in trouble,” Charles Barkley said before the Dream Team’s dominant 116-48 victory to open the 1992 Olympics.

Fast-forward to 2024, and the U.S. men’s basketball team needed a last-minute layup by LeBron James to stave off South Sudan 101-100 in exhibition play.

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International basketball competitions have become less predictable. Germany nearly defeated the U.S. in an exhibition game last month and knocked off a different roster of American NBA stars in the semifinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Canada beat the U.S. in the bronze medal game of that same tournament and brought a squad featuring 11 current or former NBA players to Paris.

In the 1992 Olympics, there were 12 players with NBA experience across the non-U.S. teams. This year, there are 69.

Despite the wealth of international NBA talent in the tournament, the U.S. is still a heavy -600 favorite to win the gold medal on DraftKings. The Americans won their first two 2024 Olympic contests by 26 over Serbia and by 17 in a rematch over South Sudan. The rosters across the board in Paris, however, reflect the global development of the sport that has taken place over decades.

“The Dream Team performance in ‘92 was the original inspiration for international growth,” NBA head of international basketball operations Troy Justice said. “Fans all over the world were inspired by the level of talent and play. The inspiration creates this aspiration for young boys and girls around the world.”

There has been a steady rise in non-American players throughout NBA history: from eight on opening night of the 1983-84 season to 73 in 2003-04 and eventually to a record 125 in 2023-24, counting those on two-way contracts.

It’s not just the quantity of international players that has increased, but the quality as well. The last six NBA MVPs have been awarded to players born outside of the U.S., with second and third-place 2024 MVP finishers Shai…