The Toronto Raptors boast a roster loaded with players from outside the U.S., the NBA’s most common source of players. As the league noted before the season tipped off, the Raptors and the Utah Jazz are tied for the most “international” (i.e., non-American) members of the roster with seven.
What’s particularly compelling about the Raptors group are their countries of origin. Team President Masai Ujiri is of course a native Nigerian. He has been a prime advocate of programs like Basketball without Borders and Giants of Africa, and it’s surely no coincidence that Toronto has:
- Serge Ibaka (born in Congo)
- Pascal Siakam (Cameroon)
- OG Anunoby (born in England of Nigerian parents)
We have our Europeans too:
- Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)
- Jakob Poeltl (the first Austrian in the NBA)
and a pair of Brazilians:
- Lucas Nogueira
- Bruno Caboclo
On the non-playing side of the Raptors organization, Masai has gotten major props for his willingness to hire women.