What is the salary for playing basketball abroad? What is the typical wage of a basketball player playing abroad? A foreign basketball player’s pay is determined by a number of variables, including his skill level and the league he plays in. The following is a breakdown of basketball players’ salaries abroad:
1. EuroLeague.
The highest-paid overseas basketball players are from the Euro League, also known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. This league comprises 16 teams, including Real Madrid, Anadolu Efes, FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, Baskonia, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bayern Munich, Zalgiris, Valencia Basket, Zenit Saint Petersburg, among others. The most successful club in the league is Real Madrid. CSKA Moscow are the current champions, having won the title in 2019 after defeating Anadolu Efes. Euro basketball schedule starts in October and ends in May.
2. Spain’s Liga ACB.
This is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. It comprises 18 teams, including Kirolbet Baskonia, Unicaja, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Valencia Basket. Barcelona is the most successful club in the league, having won the title a record 15 times. Kirolbet Baskonia are the current champions after they emerged winners in the 2019-20 season.
3. Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).
BSL is the top men’s professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. Anadolu Efes is the current champion and the most successful team in the league. Apart from Anadolu Efes, the league comprises 15 other teams, including Turk Telekom, Besiktas, Galatasaray, OGM Ormanspor, and Petkim Spor.
4. Russia VTB United League.
This is the first tier of Russian professional club basketball. The league comprises 13 teams that compete with each other. CSKA Moscow is the current champion and the most successful team in the league. Other teams include Astana, Khimki, Zenit, Parma, Enisey, Avtodor, Lokomotiv Kuban, just to name but a few. The salaries of the players in this league are higher compared to other basketball clubs in other parts of Europe. CSKA Moscow has the highest budget in the league. During the 2020/21 season, the highest-paid players were Mike James and Nikola Milutinov, both from CSKA Moscow, who pocketed $2.5 million each.
5. Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga [BBL].
This is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The most successful team in the league is Bayer Giants Leverkusen and Alba Berlin are the current champions. Other teams in the league include Hamburg Towers, Brose Bamberg, Bayern Munich, Skyliners Frankfurt, Baskets Oldenburg, just to name a few. German is one of the strongest leagues in the world and that is the reason why their players earn a good salary. Greg Monroe of Bayern Munich is the highest earning player in the league with a salary of $1 million per season. The league hosts some of the top teams competing in various European competitions.
6. Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).
The league is among the oldest professional leagues, having been formed in 1920. It has a total of 16 teams. Olympia Milano is the most successful club, having won 28 titles. Reyer Venezia are current champions. Other teams in the league include Germani Brescia, Virtus Roma, Happy Casa Brindisi, Dolomiti Energia Trento, among others.
7. France’s LNB Pro.
A This is the top-tier men’s professional basketball league in France which was established in 1921. It comprises 18 teams. ASVEL is the most successful team in the league and the current champions. Other teams in the league include AS Monaco, Cholet, ESSM Le Portel, Limoges CSP, Roanne, SIG Strasbourg, Orleans Loiret, just to mention a few.
8. Adriatic League (ABA).
ABA is the 1st-tier regional men’s professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia. The league comprises 16 teams. Partizan is the most successful team in the league, having won 6 titles. Crvena Zvezda are the current champions. Other teams include Zadar, Split, Borac, Zadar, Krka, Cedevita, and Igokea. The league has really developed in the recent past and has also produced some of the best NBA players such as Dario Saric, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokik. The exact salary of the highest-paid player is not known, but the players pocket a significant sum per season.
9. Greek Basket League.
This is the first-tier level professional basketball league in Greece, comprising of 14 teams. Panathinaikos is the most successful team in the league and the current champion. It has won 38 titles to date. Other teams include AEK, Aris, Larisa, Lavrio, PAOK, Peristeri, Promitheas Patras, just to name a few.
10. Australia National Basketball League (NBL).
This is the premier professional men’s basketball league in Australia and New Zealand. It comprises 9 teams, 8 in Australia and 1 in New Zealand. Perth Wildcats is the most successful team and the current champions. Other teams include Brisbane Bullets, Melbourne United, Sydney Kings, Adelaide 36ers, and South East Melbourne Phoenix.