Basketball
Overseas Basketball Salaries by Country 2026
Country | League Name↓ | |
|---|---|---|
 | Bahrain | Zain L. |
 | Russia | VTB United |
 | Egypt | Superleague |
 | Iran | Superleague |
 | Italy | Serie A |
 | Saudi Arabia | SBL |
 | Taiwan | SBL |
 | Qatar | QBL D1 |
 | Israel | Premier L. |
 | Philippines | PBA |
 | Australia | NBL |
 | Brazil | NBB |
 | Tunisia | Nationale A |
 | Uruguay | LUB |
 | Colombia | LPB |
 | Mexico | LNBP |
 | France | LNB Pro A |
 | Lebanon | LBL |
 | Argentina | La Liga |
 | Chile | L. Nacional |
 | South Korea | KBL |
 | Jordan | JBL |
 | Greece | Greek A1 |
 | Morocco | D1 |
 | United Arab Emirates | D1 |
 | China | CBA |
 | Puerto Rico | BSN |
 | Turkey | BCL |
 | Germany | BBL |
 | Japan | B1 League |
 | Spain | ACB |
- Values shown apply to men’s basketball leagues. Salaries for women’s basketball leagues, where present, will likely be notably lower.
- Average salaries vary significantly depending upon the position the player fills. Centers (also known as “fives”) tend to be taller and therefore more rare than other positions and often have the highest average salary. By comparison, guards (“ones” and “twos”) are shorter and more common and typically have lower average salaries.
- Average annual and hourly salaries for basketball coaches are rounded to the nearest value.
- In most cases, salaries have been converted from native currency into USD using the existing conversion rates at the time of publication. Current conversion rates may result in different totals.
- Data on coaching salaries were last updated in 2024, but the actual data lack a unified date and may come from multiple years.
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/year
Europe (Euro League)
Average salary range for players: $500k - $800k/year
Spain (ACB)
Average salary range for players: $250k - $500k/year
Turkey (BSL)
Average salary range for players: $250k - $475k/year
Russia (VTB United)
Average salary range for players: $200k - $450k/year
Italy (Serie A)
Average salary range for players: $150k - $350k/year
Israel (Premier League)
Average salary range for players: $140 - $350k/year
Germany (BBL)
Average salary range for players: $100k - $300k/year
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.
