The NBA is no longer just an American game. Basketball has evolved into a global game over the past 20 years with 14 of the 60 players selected in the 2017 NBA draft born outside of the United States. That amount was double in 2016 with 28 of the 60 born outside of the U.S.
Even though the game has gone global, the model for player development is strictly the American way. Players are basically forced to attend college in the United States and then hope they can be one of the 60 players drafted into the NBA.