San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama isn't the only reason why French fans will be watching the NBA this season.
Far from it.
The opening night rosters in the NBA have been turned in — and there are 17 French players on those lists, the most of any international land. Canada, which has had more player representation than any other country outside of the U.S. over the last several years, has 16 players on opening night rosters.
In all, there are 125 international players from a record-tying 43 countries on rosters to open this season. Of those, 70 are European.
Australia has nine players on opening night rosters, followed by Germany (seven), and Nigeria and Serbia (six each). Every NBA roster has at least one international player, with Dallas, Miami and Washington leading the way with seven each.
International players have taken the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in each of the last eight seasons, with Miami's Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greek, of Nigerian descent) winning for Milwaukee in 2019 and 2020; Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) winning in 2021, 2022 and 2024; Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (Cameroon-born, now an American citizen) in 2023; and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) in 2025 and 2026.
There was a ton of superstar-level player movement this offseason, with LeBron James going to Philadelphia, Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto and more.
Here's a look at some notable return games by players headed back to former homes this season:
— Oct. 21, Utah's Jaren Jackson Jr. returns to Memphis.
— Nov. 10, Boston's Paul George returns to Philadelphia.
— Nov. 18, Milwaukee's Tyler Herro returns to Miami (for the first Antetokounmpo vs. Bucks game, too.)
— Nov. 19, Portland's Damian Lillard returns to Milwaukee.
— Nov. 23, Brooklyn's Julius Randle returns to Minnesota.
— Dec. 25, Philadelphia's LeBron James returns to Los Angeles to face the Lakers.
— Jan. 21, Philadelphia's Jaylen Brown returns to Boston.
— Jan. 28, Miami's Antetokounmpo returns to Milwaukee.
— Feb. 6, Portland's Ja Morant returns to Memphis.
— Feb. 15, Minnesota's LaMelo Ball returns to Charlotte.
— Cleveland's James Harden is 661 points from becoming the ninth player in NBA history with 30,000. He'll also likely become the 11th player with 9,000 assists; he's 127 away there.
— Houston's Kevin Durant (32,597) is 1,046 points away from matching the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant for No. 4 on the NBA's career scoring list.
— Denver's DeMar DeRozan (26,711) enters this season 16th on the scoring list and Golden State's Stephen Curry (26,528) is 19th. It's well within the realm of possibility that they're near No. 10 Shaquille O'Neal (28,596) by season's end.
— Miami's Klay Thompson is 74 3-pointers from tying Ray Allen (2,973) for third on the all-time list, behind only Curry and Harden.
If Denver's Nikola Jokic finishes in the top two of the MVP balloting — something he's done in each of the last six years — he'd set a record. Nobody has done that seven years in a row.
Jokic won the award in 2021, 2023 and 2024, plus was second in 2022, 2025 and 2026.
He's the third player with six consecutive top-two finishes. Boston's Bill Russell won in 1958, 1961, 1962 and 1963, while finishing second in 1959 and 1960. Another Celtics legend, Larry Bird, was second in 1981, 1982 and 1983 before winning in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
Indiana's first win this season will be a cause for celebration — it'll be the Pacers' milestone 2,000th victory in regular-season play since joining the NBA. The Pacers also had 427 regular-season wins in their ABA era.
The Pacers' Rick Carlisle is scheduled to coach his 2,000th regular-season game on March 8 against Charlotte. He needs 65 games to hit 2,000; that game is the 63rd on Indiana's current schedule, which doesn't account for two that will be added as the NBA Cup tournament plays out.
Carlisle is 30 wins from tying Rick Adelman (1,042) for 10th-most in NBA history.
A few other milestones that could be reached this season:
— Miami's Erik Spoelstra is two wins shy of tying Cotton Fitzsimmons (832) for 16th on the NBA's all-time list for coaches. Spoelstra is also 34 wins shy of matching one of his idols, Jack Ramsay, for 15th; Ramsay won 864 games in his career.
— Golden State’s Steve Kerr will likely climb into the top 25 on the coaching wins list. Kerr enters the season 28th with 603 regular-season victories, 10 behind No. 27 Mike Dunleavy, 25 behind No. 26 Doug Moe and 35 behind No. 25 Chuck Daly.
— All of Kerr’s wins have come with the Warriors; only Gregg Popovich (1,390 with San Antonio), Jerry Sloan (1,127 with Utah), Spoelstra (830 with Miami), Red Auerbach (795 with Boston), Red Holzman (613 with New York) and Phil Jackson (610 with the Lakers) won more with one team. Kerr is obviously well within reach of Holzman and Jackson on that list.
— Orlando's 33rd game of the season, which would be Dec. 31 at Indiana, will be the 3,000th regular-season contest in Magic history. New Orleans' 68th game, currently set for March 12 at home against Toronto, will be No. 2,000 in Pelicans history.
— The Los Angeles Lakers' 34th game this season (Dec. 31 at New Orleans) will be their 7,000th in franchise history, including playoffs.
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
Miami Heat forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (7) comes under pressure from Brooklyn Nets forward Julius Randle (30) during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, left, looks to pass the ball as Chicago Bulls forward Leonard Miller defends in the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts to a play during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in San Antonio, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 21, 2026--
Regulatory News:
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261020096366/en/
Today, Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) (Paris: COTY) (“Coty” or “the Company”) released its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Sustainability Report under its Beauty That Lasts strategy. The report details advances across focus areas, including validation of Coty’s Net Zero 2050 target, reductions in water withdrawal and virgin plastic use, and investment in employees’ digital and leadership skills.
Coty Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer Markus Strobel commented, “As Coty transforms, our focus remains firmly on creating long-term value through our Coty.Curated framework. Our FY26 sustainability progress, from climate ambitions and greater resource efficiency to investing in the capabilities our people need for the future, is helping us build a stronger, more resilient Coty.”
Highlights from FY26
Coty continued to perform strongly in third-party sustainability assessments. The Company received an A rating from CDP Climate, an AA rating from MSCI ESG Ratings, a Low Risk assessment from Sustainalytics, and a Gold rating from EcoVadis.
This year's report is Coty's second report prepared in accordance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Additional information regarding the relevant assessment periods and methodologies is available in the FY26 Sustainability Report on the company’s ESG Reporting Hub on Coty.com.
About Coty Inc.
Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with a portfolio of iconic brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty serves consumers around the world, selling prestige and mass market products in over 120 countries and territories. Coty and our brands empower people to express themselves freely, creating their own visions of beauty, and we are committed to protecting the planet.
Learn more at coty.com or on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Cautionary Note Regarding Sustainability Information and Forward-Looking Statements
The Coty FY26 Sustainability Report has been prepared pursuant to the EU Corporate Sustainability Directive (CSRD) regime. Forward-looking and other statements regarding environmental and other sustainability efforts and aspirations are not intended to communicate any material investment information under the laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions. The FY26 Sustainability Report and this press release use certain terms, including such terms of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), EU Taxonomy Regulation, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the International Bill of Human Rights, and the International Labour Organization, and the CSRD rules, regimes, or requirements that may be referred to as “material” for those purposes, to reflect specific impacts, risks or opportunities or other matters identified as “material” to Coty or its stakeholders according to such rules, regimes, or requirements, and in accordance therewith. However, the terms “material,” “materially,” and “materiality” in the FY26 Sustainability Report and this press release are distinct from, and should not be confused with, such terms as defined by or construed in accordance with securities or other laws, including the laws of the United States, or as used in the context of financial statements, and reporting required by relevant laws and regulations. In particular, these terms are determined for purposes of the CSRD in accordance with a double materiality assessment, which applies a specific standard and regime pursuant to the CSRD that is separate and distinct from notions of materiality under securities laws, including the securities laws of the United States. The term “materiality” in the FY26 Sustainability Report and this press release is to be construed pursuant to the CSRD, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) contained in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772 dated July 31, 2023, and other guidance published by the European Commission (EC), the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) and/or other European and member state bodies, regulators and/or standard setters. The inclusion of such statements and information is not an indication that these contents are necessarily material to investors, material in the context of the Company’s financial statements or required to be disclosed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Moreover, forward-looking and other statements regarding environmental and other sustainability efforts and aspirations are for informational purposes only and are not intended as an offer or advertisement for Coty's equity, debt, businesses or products and investors and consumers are specifically notified that this document should not be construed as an offer or inducement to purchase any security or product, respectively.
The FY26 Sustainability Report, and our website “Coty.com” contain information about our social impact and sustainability goals, targets, initiatives, commitments, and activities. These efforts involve certain risks and uncertainties, such as changes in our business (e.g., acquisitions, divestitures, or new manufacturing or distribution locations), the standards by which achievement is measured, the assumptions underlying a particular goal or matter, and our ability to accurately report particular information. Actual results could differ materially from our stated goals or the results we expect. Changing circumstances, including evolving expectations for social impact and sustainability generally or to specific focus areas or changes in standards or the way progress or achievement is measured, may lead to adjustments in, or the discontinuation of, our pursuit of, certain goals, commitments, or initiatives. Moreover, the standards by which social impact and sustainability efforts and related matters are measured are developing and evolving, and certain areas are based on assumptions. The standards and assumptions could change over time. The selection by management of alternative acceptable measurements could have resulted in materially different amounts or sustainability metrics reported by the Company. In addition, statements made about our company, business, or efforts may not apply to all business units and reference is made to the methodological notes contained in the FY26 Sustainability Report.
Our disclosure concerning these matters, including our FY26 Sustainability Report, includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our social impact and sustainability goals, targets, initiatives, commitments, and activities, as well as our future operations and long-term strategy. Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of our knowledge of our business and operations, we cannot assure that actual results or outcomes will not differ materially from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements relating to sustainability. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “are going to”, “estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend”, “foresee”, “forecast”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “outlook”, “continue”, “temporary”, “target”, “aim”, “potential”, “goal” and similar words or phrases. In particular, forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make about our expectations for our operations and business and our social impact and sustainability progress, plans, and goals (including impacts, risks and opportunities). Forward looking statements relating to sustainability include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors such as those described under the heading “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, other periodic or current reports we have filed and may file with the SEC from time to time. These forward-looking statements relating to sustainability are made only as of the date of the FY26 Sustainability Report or this press release, as applicable, and we do not undertake any obligation, other than as may be required by applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking or cautionary statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, unanticipated or otherwise, or changes in future operating results over time or otherwise. In addition, we assume no responsibility to update the information contained on our website or in our FY26 Sustainability Report or to continue to report any information.
Coty Sharpens Climate Goals, Cuts Water and Packaging Use in FY26 Sustainability Report
