How much do international basketball players make?
The big question is how much do international basketball players make and is it worth it to go play oversees.
Internation Basketball is growing steadily. The game is spreading throughout the world and is ow being playing everywhere.
The NBA has helped grow this game played between two teams, each with five players on a rectangular court.
The game consists of four quarters and both teams compete against each other on who can score the most baskets in the game.
International basketball players salaries
It is becoming more popular even among nations that traditionally promote soccer (futbol) and cricket.
Basketball is more than than a popular trend. Basketball can be played casually or professionally, and most players aspire to partake in the biggest basketball league known as the National Basketball Association or NBA.
Players would start training at such a young age and from there, aspire to get into their school or state’s team before going into a collegiate level and then finally scouted to be part of the NBA or their respective country’s basketball leagues.
There is a growing desire to go through whatever it takes just to be part of a professional team.
To know which league you should target you need to understand the NBA combine process and create a free profile and get a basketball combine evaluation.
Playing Basketball Overseas Can Be Profitable
Other than getting recognition to be part of a professional team and get the chance to compete on a top-tier level, players would find that competing is profitable. Highly profitable.
If one is to combine the entire net worth of all the thirty teams NBA has to offer, they average an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion each (Reiff, 2019).
If one is to account for the entirety of the sport, Basketball (as of January 2020) is now worth $90 billion through participation in the game and endorsement deals (Das, 2020).
American Basketball is Motivating The World To Participate
Just from the profit alone and how big the enterprise is, playing Basketball has given people the motivation to join it. While America does hold the largest stocks for the game (Das, 2020), other international leagues also boast the seven-digit income.
Though, as profitable as the game is through competing internationally, endorsements or a general game itself, there are some countries that cannot provide the million dollars dream for a lot of players.
How Much Do International Players Make?
Before listing out the estimated salaries of international leagues, take a quick look through the list of America’s richest NBA players of all time to get an insight into how big the difference is between their international counterparts.
Number one on the list is the all-time greatest, Michael Jordan. From a former professional NBA-player now turned businessman is worth an estimated $1.5 billion.
Through his many games in the past and arguably through his endorsements, especially with “Nike”, Michael Jordan is not only the richest basketball player in America but in the whole history of the game itself. The next is Junior Bridgeman, a retired NBA-player from East Chicago is worth around $600 million through owning 160 outlets and 118 Chili’s restaurants.
How much is Magic Johnson’s net worth?
Third on the list is Magic Johnson, likewise with Bridgeman, he is worth around $600 and thrives off through his partnership with Starbucks, Fridays and 24 Hour Fitness. After Johnson is Lebron James who is worth around $440 million; moreover, Lebron is not retired and is estimated to get a higher net worth due to it.
Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth
Shaquille O’Neal is the fifth on the list with an estimated net worth of $400 million.
Top NBA players net worth
From there, the next would be is the late Kobe Bryant who had a net worth of $350 million, then David Robinson with $200 million, Hakeem Olajuwon with $200 million, Kevin Garnett with $190 million and Grant Hill with $180 million (Wallin, 2020). Not only that, if the player is not one of the biggest earners in the game, their average salary would still be $7.7 per season (Huddleston Jr., 2019).
Just from the above-mentioned list alone, a professional player would aspire to hit the hundred million mark. Unfortunately, that is not the case for some but even though America’s NBA would always be the king, their international counterparts make the game profitable for those fortunate enough to compete in the professional scene.
Australian National Basketball League salaries
Starting off with the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), their league can offer teams to sign a maximum of three imports, providing opportunities not only for Australis but those born in New Zealand and America (Unconfirmed). These players earn $60 000 to $100 000 per season.
Though the Australian NBL does not make more than the NBA, it is still an ideal league to play in as only a handful in the NBA make the cut-off due to not enough players being signed into teams and because of this, big opportunities for potential elite basketball players are handed. Another benefit of playing for the Australian NBL is that there are zero reports from players, agents or from the whole team itself about salary delays. Lastly, though the Australian NBL is diverse, their primary language is English which is critical for proper communication in- or off- the court (Reichert, 2017).
European Basketball League salaries
Next in the international leagues is the Euroleague or the European Basketball League. The Euroleague encompasses the Spanish league which is famously known as the Liga ACB and Italian league. Players who often draft for the Euroleague usually came from the D-League or the Development League.
The D-League employs aspiring NBA players but the majority of them never get drafted; therefore, some of these players end up freelancing or are put in a roster when available but the feat alone would still be difficult which is why they opt to move to other international leagues. As a starter, players get paid $65 000 to $100 000 and some of them can get paid as much as $4 million (Rules, 2019).
Though there is still a disparity between the salaries of European and American basketball players, one cannot doubt that even with the $65 000 starting salary, the league can provide much bigger opportunities due to a large amount of drafting and hey, it is just the starting salary.
Brazilian Basketball League Salaries
For the Brazilian league, they earn a much lower salary. They earn an average of $37 000, 23% less than their European counterparts. Turkish players, on the other hand, earn an average of $44 000 based on twenty-six profiles which include base salary, equity and player bonus (Paysa, 2020). Why is this so? Unlike their American counterparts, the mentioned basketball leagues lack exposure and endorsement in many areas be it in televisions, social media, merchandising, ticket sales and the like which is why they got left behind by the NBA who not only focuses on ensuring a high competitive scene but also runs the enterprise as a hugely profitable business (Reiff, 2019).
Asian Basketball League Salaries
Now for the Asian basketball league. Based on the data given by ESPN 5 (2018), the players from the Philippine Basketball Association would earn an average of $30 000 to $40 000. While players may not earn as much, it would still be a prospect for those who will skip college and can provide other opportunities (Ventura, 2018).
How much do Japanese Basketball Players make?
Japanese Basketball players in the top tier division average ¥13.1 million ($121,000). Yuki Togashi the first “Million Dollar Man” became the first Japanese player to earn an annual salary of over ¥100 million ($923,000)
Chinese Basketball Association Salaries
The last but not the least of the international league is the Chinese Basketball Association. While the NBA boasts a $7.7 million profit per season, the CBA boasts an average of $1 million up to $3 million per drafted player. Due to the large influences of the sport, especially through the help of Yao Ming, the Chinese gave a high stream of cash support to their players and prospect players.
Huge Salary Disparity Between NBA versus International Players Outside USA
It goes without saying that there are certain disparities between the NBA and the international leagues; however, before thinking of joining the NBA, one should look up the different benefits each league has to offer because the aforementioned salaries were just the average salaries and could go up higher.
As for the international leagues themselves, with the exception of the Chinese and American leagues, they should also take into consideration investing in the game because it has been proven time and time again that the basketball enterprise is a very, very lucrative market (Prewitt, 2019).
Top Leagues Outside the USA
- Spain’s ACB
- Italy’s Lega Serie A
- VTB United League (Eastern Europe)
- Chinese Basketball Association:
- Turkey’s BEKO Basketball League
- Australian National Basketball League (NBL)
- Puerto Rico’s Superior National Basketball League (BSN, its Spanish acronym)
- Argentina’s Liga Nacional de Basquetbol (LNB)
- Brazil’s Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB)
- Islamic Republic of Iran’s SuperLeague
- Philippine Basketball Association
- B.League – Japan Basketball Association
International Player Salary Chart
| League | Average Player Pay | Max Player Pay |
|---|---|---|
| NBA | 7.7 million | 42 Million |
| Spain’s ACB | 100,000 usd | 5 million |
| Italy’s Lega Serie A | 65,000 usd | 2 million |
| Chinese Basketball Association: | 1 million | 3 million |
| Turkey’s BEKO Basketball League | 44,000 usd | 500,000 |
| Australian National Basketball League (NBL) | 60,000 usd | $400,000 |
| Puerto Rico’s Superior National Basketball League | 80,000 usd | 200,000 usd |
| Argentina’s Liga Nacional de Basquetbol (LNB) | 35,000 | 250,000 |
| Brazil’s Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) | 37,000 usd | 250,000 usd |
| Islamic Republic of Iran’s SuperLeague | 20,000/month usd | 400,000 usd |
| Philippine Basketball Association | 30,000 usd | 40,000 |
| Greek League – Jimmer Fredette | 65,000 usd | 1.35 Million |
| b.League – Japanese League | 60,000 usd | 923,000 usd |
References:
Das, S. (2020). Top 10 Richest Sports in the World 2020. Sportsshow.net. Retrieved on
March 3, 2020 from https://sportsshow.net/richest-sports-in-the-world/
Huddleston Jr., T. (2019). These are the highest paid players in the NBA right now. Make
it. Retrieved on March 3, 2020 from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/22/highest-paid-
players-in-the-nba-right-now.html
Paysa (2020). Professional Basketball Player Salaries in Brazil, IN. Retrieved on March
2, 2020 from https://www.paysa.com/salaries/professional-basketball-player–
brazil,-in–tl.
Prewitt, A. (2019). How Do You Say ‘Cheesecake Factory’ in Mandarin? Behind the
Scenes of Life in the Chinese Basketball Association. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved
on March 3, 2020 from https://www.si.com/nba/2019/06/27/chinese-basketball-
association-jimmer-fredette-shabazz-muhammad-stephon-marbury.
Reichert, C. (2017). The Australian NBL is steadily becoming a prime destination for G
League alums. 2ways10days.com. Retrieved on March 3, 2020 from