The NBA announced Tuesday that opening-night rosters feature a record 84 international players from 38 countries and territories.
That exceeds the previous opening-night record of 83 international players from 37 countries and territories in 2006-07 … with the Mavs tied for second this season with five foreign-born imports on the roster.
Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki, Puerto Rico’s J.J. Barea and the French trio of Roddy Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi and Alexis Ajinca have Dallas tied with Utah with five internationals, one behind league-leading Toronto.
Thanks in part to its three Mavericks, France has more NBA players than any other foreign country with 11 exports. Turkey is next with five.
Twenty-eight of the NBA’s 30 teams have at least one international player. The league, for the record, only counts players born and raised outside of the United States for this exercise, which is why the Clippers’ Chris Kaman -- Nowitzki’s national-team teammate -- is not on the list.