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The Utah Jazz are casting their net wide for international players.
“We have scouts all over the world — almost every basketball country around the world,” team CEO and governor Danny Ainge told CNBC’s “Halftime Report” on Friday.
The two-time National Basketball Association champion and former NBA All-Star highlighted having scouts from countries throughout South America, Europe and Asia, as well as every region of the US.
“It’s a worldwide game and we’ve got to find them all,” he said.
His comments come after the NBA announced in October that a record 125 international players — five of whom were on the Utah Jazz — were on the opening-night roster for the 2023-24 season. Those players were from 40 countries and territories on six continents, with Canada having a record 26 and France having 14.
All 30 NBA teams this season feature at least one international player.
According to StubHub, international ticket sales also saw a 120% increase compared to the previous season. Fans are traveling to North American games from a total of 92 countries, up from 68 countries last season.
After leading basketball operations for the Boston Celtics for 18 years, Ainge joined the Utah Jazz as CEO in December 2021.
According to data from research firm Statista, the valuation of the Utah Jazz currently sits at $3.09 billion. This represents an increase of 52.59% from the previous year and an increase of 76.57% from the year Ainge joined the franchise.
