Overseas Basketball Salaries by Country 2024

Professional Sports

The world of professional sports is a lucrative business, and for professional athletes that equates to some very nice paydays. The salaries made by Major League Baseball (MLB) players, Major League Soccer (MLS) participants, National Football League (NFL) athletes, and National Basketball Association (NBA) players is no secret.

What many people may not be as aware of, however, is the viable living that the other professional athletes from other leagues and other countries make. In fact, many athletes from college play in foreign leagues in hopes of one day joining the NBA. And they typically earn a very good income while they hone their skills. So how much money exactly? Here is a look at the top ten paying overseas leagues.

Overseas Basketball Salaries by Country

From China to Italy and Israel, there are many good paying leagues for professional basketball players, where some athletes earn more than $3 million a year.

China Basketball League (CBA)

Average salary range for players: $1 mil - $3 Mill/yr.

Europe (Euro League)

Average salary range for players: $500k - $800k/yr.

Spain (ACB)

Average salary range for players: $250k - $500k/yr.

Turkey (BSL)

Average salary range for players: $250k - $475k/yr.

Russia (VTB United)

Average salary range for players: $200k - $450k/yr.

Italy (Serie A)

Average salary range for players: $150k - $350k/yr.

Israel (Premier League)

Average salary range for players: $140 - $350k/yr.

Germany (BBL)

Average salary range for players: $100k - $300k/yr.a

If you are a professional basket player, either home or abroad, then you have earned the opportunity to earn a nice income. The good news is, that is just as true for those many who never make it to the NBA. The other part of the good news story here is that many players do enter the NBA from foreign leagues.

Today, the NBA is more open and employs more foreign players than almost any other major league sport. With stars and household names like Luka Doncic or Boban Marjanovic, it is easy to understand why players from all over the world have such big dreams.

Fortunately, for those NBA hopefuls, they have the option to earn money while they work on earning their shot too. Basketball is a growing sport, and it has found a home in countries all over the world. For some athletes, that has also meant finding a way to earn a living, even while they dream.