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Brazil Professional Basketball League – Want To Visit Rio De Janeiro?

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brazil professional basketball league

Brazil’s Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB)

Novo Basquete Brasil, or New basketball Brazil, is the professional basketball league for Brazillian players. It is operated by the Liga Nacional de Basquete (National Basketball League) and managed by the LNB’s founding members.

As of now, there is an increase of Brazilians in the NBA which is making headlines due to the starting line-up composed of popular Brazilians on NBA teams.  Teams such as San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter who was the first Brazilian to win in a championship setting (Kurczy, 15).

Brazilian premier professional men’s basketball league Format

NBB is held yearly and is organized by the Liga Nacional de Basquete (LNB) and promoted by the Brazilian Basketball Confederation. This format involves having fifteen teams first played against each other in their home and visitor courts.

Brazilian professional basketball league Playoff Format

Eight teams will be selected to play against one another in the playoffs and would usually be: top team against the ranked eight, second to play against the seventh, and so forth. The playoff season constitutes a best-of-five, which is separate from the championship finals, which only has one game. The top-ranked teams have court advantage and quality for the South American FIBA Americas League as its top tier and the FIBA South American League as its second tier.

2nd Tier Brazilian Professional Basketball League (LOB)

Liga Ouro de Basquete (LOB) 

If the top-ranked players are managed by the LNB, then the second-tier players are organized by the Liga Ouro de Basquete or Gold Basketball League. The second-tier consists mainly of the worst-performing NBB teams, but they can be promoted back into the top-tier.

20 and Under Developmental League (LDB)

LDB, on the other hand, is the Liga de Desenvolvimento de Basquete, which is for aspiring twenty years and younger basketball players. LDB means Developmental Basketball League. This is an excellent opportunity for Brazilians to advanced their basketball skills. If you are an American family living in brazil; with a child under 20, you might look into playing in this league.

Brazilian Professional Basketball League Teams

The following are the founding teams of NBB: Araraquara, Assis, Bauru, Brasilia, CETAF/Vila Velha, Flamengo, Franca, Iguacu, Johnville, Limeira, Londrina, Minas, Paulistano, Pinheiros, Saldanha da Gama, Sao Jose, Bira-Lajeado, Uberlandia, and Rio Claro.

Brazilian Professional Basketball League Tryouts & Opportunities for Americans to play

Giving Western countries an opportunity to be drafted into the NBB, the NBB would host a tryout camp for players all over, but it depends on what specific format you will play on, be it a five vs. five or the three vs. three. For now, it is recommended that if you intend to try out for their teams, focus on the three vs. three as they are currently trying ways to be qualified for the playoffs and gain international recognition as a tactical team in the sport.

How To Tryout for the Brazilian Basketball League?  

Before trying out for New Basketball Brazil, research must be done. Though there is no official list of recruiting agencies listed here, you should make it a point to look it up in their official sites. You should check which agencies offer you the service you are seeking to be it, asking for contacts with the team you wish to get into the contract and lodging. It is important that you work with a sports agency that will take care of you.

Once you have selected a sports agency, contact the teams you wish to get into. During the draft day; there is no provision or guarantee that you will be drafted in your first choice so have a list of backup in case things do not go the way you intend them to and once you get into contact with them, confirm with confirmed staff when you can showcase your skills. Unlike other leagues, their league includes you playing in several-days tournaments instead of a camp, so competition is definitely higher than regular. Please take a look at our blog about choosing a sports agent.

Now, what happens when you get drafted? Good for you, but aim higher to retain your position in the league. International competitions set a high standard for all their players since you are paid to play for them. Try to increase your stats as well to receive bonuses because recognition also comes with pay.

Brazil Basketball Salaries – Novo Basquete Brasil Salaries

A professional basketball player residing in Brazil could earn an overwhelming $54K in compensation per season, but an average player could earn from $36K to $43K (Paysa, n.a.).

How much do Brazilian stars make?

Getting drafted into the NBA is the pinnacle of a basketball player’s career. It provides the opportunity to build a financial legacy and play against the best of the best, but it also gives you an opportunity to improve your skills AND salary. As a star in the NBB and based on reports in EuroLeague, a player can make up to $2M per season.

What is the average salary of professional basketball players in Brazil?

However, be reminded that compared with more established teams in the EuroLeague and the like, Brazil does not pay more, especially against their Turkish and Spanish counterparts who make an average of $100K per season compared to their $53K per season as an average player, but the difference in income should not deter you from playing in Brazil. There is a benefit from playing for the Brazilian Professional League teams because the teams are goal-driven and aim to garner international recognition in the name of Basketball, much like they have for football/soccer (Hughes, 2019).

Novo Basquete Brasil Opportunities

CBA. Due to the inception of CBA Brasil, professional leagues, along with its partners in South America, will provide opportunities for its representatives through the kickstart of the league. The nine-days tournament composes of ten players in a team to arrive in Sao Paulo, Brazil, who will play three games against CBA Brazil teams coming from Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, and Salvador-Bahia. Players from all over can showcase their talents on the court in front of two dozen scouts for the NBB league. Players will also be given the opportunity to promote themselves through timely interviews and conferences with the national and local media alongside with all their competition to be nationally broadcasted within Brazil’s exposure (CBA, n.a.).

3×3 Basketball Growth

Look at every opportunity to play. Especially when you can get paid!

3×3 basketball. The CBB puts emphasis on competing in the 3×3 Basketball, in the U-18 categories due to its increased popularity in the World Cups. A lot of expectations are set for this not only for men’s basketball but also for women’s national teams as they stated that they go for in their training as in the qualifiers and in the World Cup itself. Unlike the regular five vs. five, these competitors were chosen due to tactical reasons and who have higher skills in the large pool of qualified players. Their aim is to defeat three teams to qualify for the quarterfinals then proceed to work from there (FIBA, 2019).

Brazilian Professional Basketball League Conclusion

In truth, playing in an international platform away from your home is not for everyone.  But this should not fail to raise curiosity among aspiring players who wish to get drafted into the NBA but are not selected.  Do what you CAN do first before getting drafted because the pool in the NBA is so small that the majority of their players end up just playing as substitutes or only getting hired when needed.

On the other hand, playing away from home is not for everyone as well since there are certain factors to take into consideration such as a change in demographics, the people you interact with, the certainty of success in the country, the troubles dealing with international contract and everything that binds you generally.

Brazil Can Offer a Beautiful and Rich Culture While Playing Basketball

Brazil is a beautiful country with amazing people that are open, loving and generous. I have spent extensive time in Brazil and like the country quite a bit. Yes, Brazil has some different issues like all countries. But, as a black man, Brazil feels a lot different than loving in the states as I don’t feel the racial friction that I feel in the United States. With that being said if you are serious about growing as a basketball player and continuing on the development curve Brazil is a good option to maintain your NBA dreams and ultimately lead you back to the G League or NBA opportunity. You never know you could really like Brazil and never leave. 

This is why you must think thoroughly before trying out because if you intend to play hoops, you should make sure you can secure yourself than regret it later on.

References:

CBA. (n.a.). 2018-2019 Global Opportunities Program – Caribbean. Retrieved on March
        24, 2020, from https://www.playcba.com/global.

FIBA (2019). Brazil focused 100% on 3×3 Basketball. Retrieved on March 24, 2020, from
        http://www.fiba.basketball/news/brazil-s-focused-100-on-3×3-basketball.

Hughes, D. (2019). Ovie Soko salary: how much do European basketball players earn
        compared to NBA’s multimillionaire superstars? Inews. Retrieved on March 25, 2020
        from https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/ovie-soko-net-worth-salary-love-island-
        2019-basketball-nba-wage-earnings-compared-497603.

Kurczy, S. (2015). Brazilians are killing it in hoops, but the fans are too busy watching
        Soccer to notice. Splinter. Retrieved on March 25, 2020, from
        https://splinternews.com/brazilians-are-killing-it-in-hoops-but-the-fans-are-to-
        1793847940.

Paysa (n.a.). Professional Basketball Player Salaries in Brazil, IN. Retrieved on March
        24, 2020 from https://www.paysa.com/salaries/professional-basketball-player–
        brazil,-in–tl.