NBA opening night rosters feature record four UK players

By Sam Neter on October 22, 2025

The NBA has confirmed that a record four players from the United Kingdom feature on opening-night rosters for the 2025-26 season, as part of a wider all-time high of 135 international players across the league.

OG Anunoby and Tosan Evbuomwan both begin the year with the New York Knicks, Amari Williams earns his place with the Boston Celtics, and Jeremy Sochan returns for his third season with the San Antonio Spurs. It marks the first time in league history that four British players have been active at the start of an NBA season.

Anunoby, born in London before moving to the United States at the age of four, continues to strengthen his ties to the UK through his annual summer camps, while Sochan, who represents Poland in international basketball, was raised and developed in Milton Keynes and Southampton before heading to the US high school and college system. Evbuomwan’s journey from Newcastle to Princeton, and Williams’ development at Drexel and Kentucky, round out a uniquely diverse group of British pathways into the league.

Their presence comes as part of a wider surge in European and global talent. The NBA announced a record 71 European players this season, alongside record numbers from France and Australia, with all 30 teams featuring at least one international player. It is the fifth consecutive year that the league has opened with at least 120 international players.

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