Australia's place as a growing world basketball power has been confirmed with the NBA's annual release of its list of international players in the elite league.
Apart from the US, Canada has the most players on NBA teams heading into the new season, followed by France and then Australia in third position.
Canada has 11 players and France has 10.
The NBA lists Australia with eight players, although they exclude South Sudanese-born, Australian-raised Thon Maker and Mangok Mathiang from their tally and include All-Star Kyrie Irving.
Maker and Mathiang, as young children, fled war-torn Sudan to Australia with their families and have elected to play on Australian representative teams.
Irving, the son of Americans, was born in Melbourne when his basketball professional father Drederick was playing in Australia.
Irving was a two-year-old when the Irvings returned to the US and has made limited trips back to Australia.
The All-Star guard knocked back an opportunity to play for Australia at the 2012 Olympics and instead has elected to play for Team USA internationally.
The NBA told AAP it compiled its list based on birthplace, although it includes the New Zealand-born, Australian-raised key member of the Boomers Aron Baynes as an Australian.
Australia's NBA players are: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers); Andrew Bogut (Los Angeles Lakers); Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs); Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz); Dante Exum (Utah Jazz); Matthew Dellavedova (Milwaukee Bucks); Baynes (Boston Celtics); Maker (Milwaukee Bucks); Mathiang (Charlotte Hornets); Irving (Boston Celtics).
The NBA announced 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories are on opening-night rosters for the 2017-18 season.
Spain trails Australia in fourth with seven players while Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Serbia and Turkey are next with five players each.
The Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors have an NBA-high seven international players each.
The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs each have six.
The NBA regular season begins Tuesday (Wednesday 11am AEDT) with Irving and Baynes' Celtics taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets play 1.30pm AEDT.
