Spanish ACB Basketball League: Salaries, Tryouts, Opportunities, and Details
Spanish ACB or Liga Endesa: A Brief Overview
Liga Endesa, known as Liga ACB, is the top professional basketball division of the SPB (Spanish Basketball League) system. The administrator is Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB) and has 18 professional teams with their two lowest-ranked teams placed into LEB Oro. They currently have 34 regular seasons prior to playoffs (PB, n.a.).
Around 49 teams competed in Liga ACB since its creation back in 1983. As of today, there are seven crowned champions with Real Madrid winning thirty-five times and FC Barcelona eighteen times. Its latest wins as the overall champions occurred back in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019 for Real Madrid and with Valencia Basket back in 2017. Additionally, Liga ACB is now known as Liga Endesa, after signing a sponsorship deal back in 2011 (PB, n.a.).
Spanish League of Their Own
The Spanish Basketball League is currently the best league in Europe. They currently have four teams playing in the Euroleague, and tough competition is usually between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, earning the nickname El Classico, as they continue to compete who earns the most championship, which dates back as early as 1956. Currently, Real Madrid has 35 championships out of 63 and dominates the Euroleague with an outstanding ten championships (PB, n.a.).
In general, the Spanish ACB is famous for its professional plays and sportsmanship, producing their best ACB players such as Alberto Herreros, Chichi Creus, Felipe Reyes, Juan-Carlos Navarro, Juan Antonio San Epifanio, and Jordi Villacampa. They are also known to house the best facilities not only for training but also for games as they currently provide almost ten arenas to thousands of fans worldwide. Lastly, it is common for Spanish players to strengthen their local teams than training abroad with the exception of the NBA to further hone their skills (PB, n.a.).
Perks, Salaries, and Opportunities of Playing Basketball in Spain ACB
The sport of Basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world which does not conform strictly to social status, ethnicity, gender, and even geography. It comes as to no surprise that the opportunity is endless when one gets drafted in a professional team due to exposure and overall income.
NBA is notorious for giving provisions to its players not only in terms of facilities but also salaries; however, what does it entail for one to play in an international team, specifically for the Spanish ACB?
There are numerous benefits and advantages to playing Basketball for the Spanish ACB. One of them includes playing the game the player loves and the exposure they get. To their people, the players are the NBA team for their city and are exposed to fans who approach them numerous times just for autographs or interviews.
Spanish ACB Travel
Another benefit of playing Basketball for the Spanish ACB is the chance to travel and meet their citizens. Most people would save up just to get there since Spain is legitimately a beautiful country not only for its look and feel but also its history. Tickets, airplane tickets are paid by the team, be it one-way or a round-trip, especially at the end of the season when the players get the chance to be back with their families (Creppy, 2018).
Just those perks alone are enough to drive people to fight for a spot in the Spanish ACB, but there are more benefits which include tax-free salaries, free housing, establishing their reputations not only with the townsfolk but other personalities and establishing connections and friendships along the way (Creppy, 2018).
How To Get Drafted Into Spanish Basketball League
Though getting drafted into the Spanish ACB may be easier for some, there are some problems players encounter. Though there are clauses in the contract which guarantees a player’s position, teams would delay or cut-off a player’s salary when he or she underperforms. In short, to maintain one’s position in the Spanish ACB or in an international team in general, he or she must always perform well, which puts a lot of pressure since some tend not to meet the team’s quota (Creppy, 2018).
Spanish Basketball League Salaries
If those were not enough to get a player hooked on trying, then the salaries should. There is a huge economic gap between the salaries of NBA vs. other international leagues with a ratio of 7:2 ($7M:$2M); the starting salary for players is not that bleak. The average salaries for those playing in the Liga ACB are around $113 000 and above Hughes, 2019).
What are the chances Spanish ACB players or any other European players get paid higher than $113k? Take a look at Chris Singleton, who spent two years in Athens before getting drafted on the Barcelona Lassa. Chris earned $1.9M just with that deal alone. Though Chris did not earn the number one spot on highest-paid European pro basketball players, he is living proof that with the right amount of effort, and having the right contract can have one maximize the opportunities given to them (Orfanakis, 2018).
Tryouts for the Spanish ACB
Getting drafted into the NBA is no easy task; however, it is not the same as getting drafted in a European team, much like the Spanish ACB, which is easier when the applicant is in the area (Manoj, n.a.).
Before attempting to tryout in the Spanish ACB, extensive research must be done. The first step is to research the country itself if it can provide the player’s needs, such as facilities or if the location itself is conducive for training. They should also search for achievements by the Spanish ACB before looking up the competing teams in the Spanish basketball league (Manoj, n.a.).
Spanish ACB Tryouts Specifics
The next step in the process is to narrow down the list to at least ten teams. There is no guarantee a basketball player will get drafted or even get a response from their first team of choice, so it is best to get the contacts for all the teams they intend to apply in. Once you gather all contact information, take the time to call the clubs and speak to a coach. It is much better to speak to the coach than going directly to other staff since the coach will be the one to dictate the scheduling, the criteria, and the like (Manoj, n.a.).
After talking to the coach, start scheduling the training sessions. For most European clubs, training happens between Monday and Thursday. The basketball player should make it a point to not only be punctual but get to the venue earlier not because of getting good favor but to know the right people they need to get in touch with or understand whom they will work with. After that, the player should do his best in every training session as well as every game he is put in should he get drafted to the team (Manoj, n.a.).
Conclusion
Playing overseas, in general, is not for everybody. If one should attempt to even play far away from their homes, then they should be meticulous in checking for relevant and important details and secure the right lodgings and benefits to be given to them. With all the loops that encompass the world of Basketball, they should also secure an expert agent to handle them as not to tackle problems as they go along with their careers as professional basketball players.
References:
Creppy, M. (2018). The perks of playing Basketball overseas. The Undefeated. Retrieved
on March 9, 2020 from https://theundefeated.com/features/the-perks-of-playing-
basketball-overseas/.
Hughes, D. (2019). Ovie Soko salary: how much do European basketball players earn
Compared to NBA’s multimillionaire superstars?. Inews. Retrieved on March 8, 2020
from https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/ovie-soko-net-worth-salary-love-island-
2019-basketball-nba-wage-earnings-compared-497603.
Manoj, A. (n.a.) Getting a tryout for a basketball club in Europe. No Borders Basketball.
Retrieved on March 8, 2020 from https://nobordersbasketball.com/getting-a-tryout-
for-basketball-clubs/
Orfanakis, G. (2018). The Top 10 EuroLeague salaries. Eurohoops. Retrieved on March
9, 2020 from https://www.eurohoops.net/en/top-lists/722638/the-top-10-euroleague-
salaries/.
Proballers (n.a.) Spain – Liga Endesa results and boxscores. Retrieved on March 8, 2020
from https://www.proballers.com/basketball/league/30/spain-liga-endesa.
What are the top 3 levels in the Spanish Basketball League?
1. Liga ACB 2. LEB Oro 3. LEB Plata
What are the top basketball leagues in the world?
1. NBA 2. Euroleague 3. Spain's Liga ACB 4. Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) 5. Russia's VTB United League