NBA Players from Belarus: Full List (2026)
1 NBA player has come from Belarus, by Wikipedia’s count (including 1 U.S.-born Belarusian). As of October 2026, none is on an NBA roster. None of them was born in Belarus; the players profiled below were born in the United States and have family or national-team ties to the country.
NBA players from Belarus at a glance
| NBA players, all time | 1 (Wikipedia count) |
|---|---|
| On NBA rosters, October 2026 | None |
| 7-foot prospects in our database | None right now |
| Last checked | 9 October 2026 |
How Belarus compares with other small basketball countries
NBA players all time: the eight leaders among the 46 countries we compared, and Belarus.
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
Belarus
1
7-Foot Prospects from Belarus
No active player from Belarus 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.
Where the world's young 7-footers come from
The 10 countries with the most players in our 7-Foot Prospect Database. Belarus has none right now.
Show the data behind this chart
Country
Players in the database
United States
138
Germany
17
France
16
Australia
16
Senegal
15
Canada
14
South Sudan
14
Serbia
12
China
11
Nigeria
11
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.
The only player from Belarus to ever play in the NBA is……….Maalik Benjamin Wayns, a naturalized Belarusian born in America on May 2nd 1991. At a young age he started playing basketball for the Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, and he achieved to become part of both the Parade All-American and the McDonald’s All-American selections. Then in college he played for Villanova University where he was coached by Jay Wright.
In 2012 he didn’t make it on the NBA Draft, but he did enter the Orlando Magic during the Orlando Summer League and also the Golden State Warriors during the Las Vegas Summer League of the same year. The Philadelphia 76ers signed him on July 31st 2012 and he stayed there until January 2013, because his contract was not renewed. Later that same month he became part of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, which is a part of the NBA Development League.
The Los Angeles Clippers signed Wayns for two 10-day contracts during March 2013, and then he was hired for the rest of the season, and he also played on the 2013 NBA Summer League.
Later, in 2014 he played three games with the Washington Wizards during the 2014 NBA Summer League. Then he began his international experience when the Žalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania signed him for one year, starting on July 30th 2014. Next year, starting on August 14th 2015 the Italian team Pallacanestro Varese signed him for the 2015-16 Italian Series A season. Then he played in Russia with the Yenisey Krasnoyarsk during the 2016-17 season and in November 2016 he played in Israel with the Maccabi Rishon LeZion team.
Wayns returned to the USA and on August 28th 2017 he became part of the Dallas Mavericks until October 14th of the same year. From October 25th 2017 he was picked up by the Joventut Badalona in Spain, where he remains for the 2017-18 league tournament of the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto.
Frequently asked questions
How many NBA players are from Belarus?
Wikipedia counts 1 (including 1 U.S.-born Belarusian).
Which players from Belarus are in the NBA in 2026-27?
None as of October 2026.
Are there 7-foot prospects from Belarus?
Not right now. Our 7-Foot Prospect Database has no active player from Belarus 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 Belarus may be missing from the table. Last checked 9 October 2026.
