NBA Players from Austria: Full List (2026)
1 NBA player has come from Austria, by Wikipedia’s count. As of October 2026, 1 is on an NBA roster: Jakob Poeltl (Toronto Raptors).
NBA players from Austria at a glance
| NBA players, all time | 1 (Wikipedia count) |
|---|---|
| On NBA rosters, October 2026 | 1: Jakob Poeltl |
| First to play in the NBA | Jakob Poeltl (2016) |
| Longest NBA career | Jakob Poeltl (10 seasons) |
| Centers | 1: Jakob Poeltl |
| 7-foot prospects in our database | None right now |
| Last checked | 9 October 2026 |
Every NBA player from Austria
Sorted by NBA debut, earliest first. Status is as of October 2026, before the 2026-27 regular season, so it includes players on training camp deals.
| Player | Position | NBA seasons | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakob Poeltl | Center | 2016 to present | Toronto Raptors |
Every NBA career from Austria, year by year
First to last NBA season for each player. Orange means on an NBA roster in 2026-27.
First seasonLast season
Show the data behind this chart
Player
Position
NBA seasons
Status
Jakob Poeltl
Center
2016 to present
Toronto Raptors
Players from Austria in the NBA in 2026-27
- Jakob Poeltl: center, 7’0″, age 30, Toronto Raptors. Entering NBA season 11; drafted in 2016, round 1, pick 9.
NBA centers from Austria
1 of the 1 player in the table played center or forward/center: Jakob Poeltl (2016 to present).
7-Foot Prospects from Austria
No active player from Austria listed at 7 feet or taller and born in 2001 or later is in our 7-Foot Prospect Database right now (last checked on 9 October 2026). The database tracks nearly 400 young 7-footers from 61 countries, and we add new names as they appear.
Player profiles from our archive
This section was first published in 2018. Teams and career details in it are as of that time; the tables above show where things stand in October 2026.
Basketball’s popularity in Austria is not even close as to those of winter sports. Their national basketball consists of experienced players that play in clubs all over Europe and one in the NBA. However, that doesn’t help them much as they haven’t qualified for a FIBA EuroBasket since 1971. At the moment, according to FIBA ranking, they are 56th in the world.
Austrian NBA Players in 2018:
Jakob Pöltl
Jakob was born on October 15, 1995, in Austria. Today he stands at 7’ and plays as a center for the San Antonio Spurs. He started his basketball career in the Austrian Bundesliga playing for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions. He was unknown to Europe until a scout saw him playing in the FIBA Europe Under 18 Championship. As a result, he was picked to play for Utah College University. After four seasons of college basketball, he signed up for the 2016 NBA draft. There he was selected as 9th pick by the Toronto Raptors. That way he became the first ever Austrian in the NBA. During the 2017-2018 season, he was the only Raptor to have played in each of the 82 regular season games.
He stayed with the Raptors until 2018 when he was part of a trade that sent him to the San Antonio Spurs. Poltl’s inclusion in the trade for Kawhi Leonard was interesting, as he was not viewed as one of Toronto’s blue chip prospects, though the NBA community has no doubt that Coach Popovich will maximize his talents.
How Austria compares with other small basketball countries
NBA players all time: the eight leaders among the 46 countries we compared, and Austria.
Show the data behind this chart
Country
NBA players, all time
Nigeria
30
Lithuania
17
Italy
14
Montenegro
10
Bahamas
9
Cameroon
8
Congo
8
Israel
8
Austria
1
Frequently asked questions
How many NBA players are from Austria?
Wikipedia counts 1.
Which players from Austria are in the NBA in 2026-27?
As of October 2026: Jakob Poeltl (Toronto Raptors).
Who was the first NBA player from Austria?
Jakob Poeltl, who debuted in 2016.
Which centers from Austria have played in the NBA?
Jakob Poeltl.
Are there 7-foot prospects from Austria?
Not right now. Our 7-Foot Prospect Database has no active player from Austria listed at 7 feet or taller and born in 2001 or later.
More guides: NBA players by country. Scouting reports: NBA center prospects.
Sources: Wikipedia, List of NBA players born outside the United States (revision of 3 October 2026); RealGM NBA player list (9 October 2026); Low Key NBA 7-Foot Prospect Database. U.S.-born players with family ties to Austria may be missing from the table. Last checked 9 October 2026.
