Endesa League leads with 72.9% foreigners

The international basketball migration report published by FIBA and the International Center for Sports Studies on Thursday, November 5, offers a detailed overview of player movements in major national competitions. The fifteenth edition of this annual study cross-references international transfer data with a comprehensive analysis of the 2025-26 season, revealing significant trends in the global professional basketball market.

Dominance of Foreign Players in the Liga Endesa

The Liga Endesa stands out as the competition with the highest proportion of foreign players. 72.9% of the members of Spanish teams are internationals, a figure that far exceeds those in other major European leagues. Turkey ranks second with 61.2%, followed by Israel at 59.9%. The global average across all competitions studied is 47.2%, underscoring the uniqueness of Spanish basketball in this regard.

During the 2025-26 season, the Liga Endesa accounts for a total of 325 players, of which 73% are foreign. This figure represents a slight decrease compared to the previous season, which recorded 75% internationals. Despite this percentage drop, diversity has notably increased. The report confirms the presence of 55 different nationalities in the Spanish competition, five more than in the 2024-25 season, thereby consolidating the record of plurality among all analyzed leagues.

A relevant aspect of the analysis reveals that foreign players in the Liga Endesa average fewer minutes per game compared to the international average. Two Spanish teams rank among the five teams with the highest proportion of foreign players: Kosner Baskonia occupies the second position globally with 90.5% international players, while Unicaja ranks fifth with 83.3%.

Shortage of Young National Talents

The situation becomes more complicated when analyzing the presence of Spanish players under the age of twenty-one. Only 7.7% of the members of the Liga Endesa are nationals under 21, a percentage significantly lower than the international average of 15.2%. This situation places Spain among the countries with the least representation of young domestic talents, surpassed only by Japan at 7% and Australia at 4.9%.

The playing minutes allocated to these young Spanish players further accentuate the concern. They average 3.4 minutes per game, a figure that contrasts with the global average of 4.7 minutes. This limited exposure in competition hampers the development and progression of emerging national talents. The specialized sector has pointed out this trend as problematic for the evolution of Spanish basketball and the future prospects of the national team.

A positive exception emerges from the individual analysis of the clubs. Valencia Basket stands out as the third team among all competitions studied in terms of minutes allocated to national players under 21, with an average of 17.8 minutes per game. This figure reflects a differentiated commitment to nurturing local talents that contrasts with the prevailing trend in the rest of the Liga Endesa.

Unprecedented Negative Migration Balance

In the section on international transfers, Spain occupies a paradoxical position. It is the second country that exports the most players globally, with 670 departures, surpassed only by the United States with 2,372 and ahead of France with 633. However, it is simultaneously the world's largest importer, receiving 958 foreign players, followed by Germany with 706 and Australia with 590.

The result of this dynamic creates a migration balance of -288 players, the most negative in the international table. Australia follows with -237 and Switzerland with -201. This figure reflects a paradox: while Spain exports young talent seeking to establish themselves in other competitions, it massively imports to maintain the competitiveness of its domestic league. The trend illustrates a cycle where Spanish players mature abroad while the Liga Endesa increasingly relies on international signings to maintain its competitive level.

Record Global Market Expansion

Globally, FIBA recorded a new all-time high of 14,194 international transfers during the 2025-26 season, representing an increase of 546 operations compared to the previous year. Europe solidifies its position as the epicenter of the transfer market with 5,428 operations, 228 more than in the 2024-25 season. The United States appears in nine of the ten most frequent transfer routes, demonstrating the American influence on the migration flows of professional basketball.

American college basketball has also broken historical records. The men's NCAA had 1,055 international players while the women's division reached 1,042, marking the first time both categories surpassed a thousand foreign athletes. This growth underscores the appeal of the American collegiate system to talents from all regions of the world.

Andreas Zagklis, Secretary General of FIBA, has acknowledged the challenges faced by players in international transfers. The organization continues to work with 212 national federations to facilitate these movements, both through the authorization letter process and via the licensed FIBA agent system, ensuring transparency and protection in the operations.

Spanish National Team in November FIBA Window

The Liga Endesa will hold its seventh round this weekend, with matches scheduled for Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8. Subsequently, the domestic competition will yield the spotlight to the November FIBA window, a period dedicated to the commitments of national teams in the qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup.

The Spanish national team will face two matches in this international window. The first will be an away game in Montenegro, with a match in Podgorica on Thursday, November 26, at 7:00 PM. Later, the national team will host Greece in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday, November 29, at 6:00 PM, both matches within the European qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup.

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