The International Basketball Migration Report is a collaborative publication developed by FIBA and the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES). Since its inception in 2012, the report has served as a key resource for understanding global trends in player movement, development pathways, and the evolving dynamics of international basketball.
Each edition offers an in-depth analysis of migration patterns across professional basketball leagues, highlighting the impact of globalization on the sport. The analysis compares national, international, and under-21 players, player turnover, and the origin and profile of imported players.
Download previous publications from the list below:
To download earlier versions, please click here.
Highlights from the 2026 edition
The number of international transfers (14,194) rose once again, with both the totals of men's transfers (10,581) and women's transfers (3,613) setting new benchmarks.
Europe remains the main hub for international transfers, with 5,428 recorded during 2025-26. There were 228 more transfers than during the previous period.
Both NCAA Men's Basketball (1,055) and NCAA Women's Basketball (1,042) set new records this season, surpassing the milestone of 1,000 international players for the first time.
Read the full 2026 Report in PDF format.
International Basketball Migration Report Evolution
The second edition of the International Basketball Migration Evolution Report, published in 2022, builds on the successful collaboration between FIBA and the CIES Observatory. It combines FIBA's data on international transfers with CIES’s analytical expertise, providing deeper insights into global basketball trends.
This edition also expands the scope to include analysis of the 19 principal international leagues, covering a comprehensive six-year period from the project's inception in 2016–17 through to the 2021–22 season.
Read the full Report in PDF format.
The previous Evolution Report, covering the period from 2011 to 2016, is available for download here.