Guide · money

First-year overseas basketball salaries by league

What a first overseas season is reported to pay, for college, JUCO, D2, D3 and NAIA players pricing a first contract. The number depends on the league. This page groups the import ranges in our index by how open the league is to a new import, then by region, and it says when housing is usually part of the deal.

By how open the league is

Same grouping as agent fees and the contract checklist. Read the entry-friendly row for a first contract. The rows above it are what the index lists for imports in harder leagues. Those ranges describe experienced imports more often than a first job. Do not treat a top-league figure as a first-year salary.

*Estimates from our index of 315 leagues. "Housing usually included" counts leagues whose editorial housing tag is "usually". Median import range is the median of the low ends and the median of the high ends, in USD, for leagues that list a range and have an entry-friendliness score. 54 of those 78 ranges are a monthly figure times an estimated season length (4, 5, 6, 8 or 9 months). 15 were converted from euros; the rate we used is in that league's salary basis, and it is not your contract's rate. 65 leagues have no score and are left out of the bands. Small samples are rough. The medians mix men's and women's leagues, the same way the agent-fees table does. Compare the full salary table.

In the entry-friendly band the median import range is about $10k–$20k a season (n=29 of 68 leagues). Housing is tagged "usually" on 45 of those 68, and on 26 of the 29 that also list a range. The band is mostly a score of 4: 65 leagues, 28 with a range. 3 leagues are scored 5, and one of them lists a salary range, so the median is not an average of those 3 leagues.

That entry-friendly median mixes regions. A first contract in Europe and a first contract in the Middle East are not the same number. The next table splits the entry-friendly band only.

Entry-friendly pay by region

Only leagues scored 4 or 5. A region can have entry-friendly leagues and still have no salary range in the index. Those cells stay blank. We do not fill them with a guess.

*Same estimates as the table above, limited to entry-friendliness 4 or 5. Sorted by how many entry-friendly leagues the region has. 39 entry-friendly leagues have no salary range and are left out of the median.

Europe is the largest entry-friendly group: about $5,742–$15k a season (n=12 of 43). 2 of those 12 ranges are from women's leagues, too few for a separate figure. The Americas are tighter, about $6,000–$7,996 (n=9 of 12). The Middle East is higher, about $45k–$54k, and that is 6 leagues, each with a range, each tagged housing usually. Africa is 2 leagues. Their ranges run from about $18k to $90k, so $54k–$59k is the middle of two ranges that do not sit next to each other. Do not read it as a typical first contract there.

Asia has 1 entry-friendly league in the index and no salary range. Oceania has 4 entry-friendly leagues and no salary range on any of them. Both regions still have entry-friendly leagues. Pay is on the league page when we have a source, and the first-contract guide lists who is signing imports. Until a range is sourced, this page leaves the cell blank.

What vendors report for a first contract

Two businesses that sell camps also publish first-contract ranges. We cite them as their own claims, the same way the salary table and the play-overseas guide do. They are not offers, and they are not a substitute for the league rows above.

• EuroProBasket, which sells camps, reports from its placement network that a first European contract for D2, D3 or NAIA graduates is often about $6,000–$22,000 net for the season, plus apartment and meals. EuroProBasket salary guide. That is a Europe figure. It sits in the same neighborhood as the Europe row above. It is not the Middle East row and it is not the Africa row.
• Euro-Grades, a combine operator, says entry-level jobs for first-year imports are often €800–€2,500 a month. For first-year men it reports about €800–€2,000 a month for a US point guard, up to €1,300–€4,000 for a US center, and it says bigs are in highest demand. Euro-Grades salary guide. A monthly number is not a season salary until you know how many months the club will pay.

Women's reported ranges are not given a separate median here. 2 of the 29 entry-friendly ranges are women's leagues. Read those on women's salaries.

Housing is part of the number

Housing is an editorial tag, not a promise from a club. We mark it "usually" on 169 of 315 leagues. One other league is tagged "yes", which we keep separate from "usually". In the entry-friendly band the "usually" tag is on 45 of 68. Another 19 in that band are tagged "sometimes" and 4 "rarely". Every league in the band has one of those three tags. At the level where a lot of first contracts sit, the index usually shows an apartment in the package.

The cash range above is not the whole deal if housing is included, and it has to cover rent if housing is not. Ask whether utilities and meals are included. Euro-Grades says perks such as a paid apartment, car, flights and insurance can add €8,000–€20,000 a year in value. Euro-Grades salary guide. That is the operator's claim. The questions to ask the club, in writing, are in the contract checklist.

What this range is not

• Not take-home pay. Ask whether the figure is net or gross, which currency, which day you are paid, and how many months. A monthly quote times a season length you assumed is a different number from a written season total. Contract checklist →
• Not after the agent. Under FIBA's Internal Regulations, total agent pay related to a player contract may not exceed 10% of that contract's value. Source: FIBA Internal Regulations Book 3. On the entry-friendly median, about $10k–$20k (n=29), 10% is about $1,044–$2,000. That is the cap, not a quote, and the written agent contract should say whether it comes out of your pay. Agent fees →
• Not what you spend to get the job. A published tryout fee, travel, and the days before the first payday are in what it costs to play overseas.
• Not every league. 78 of 315 leagues have both a salary range and an entry-friendliness score. 39 entry-friendly leagues have no range. The sourced rows are on salaries.

Which of these leagues still sign a first import, and how players get in, is where to get your first pro contract. The wider path is playing overseas after college. Compare countries in best countries to play, or filter the starter leagues.

FAQ

How much do first-year overseas basketball players make?

There is no official first-year salary. In our index, leagues scored 4 or 5 out of 5 for entry-friendliness (where a first contract usually sits) have a median reported import range of about $10k–$20k a season (n=29 leagues with a range, out of 68 in the band). That median mixes regions. Europe's entry-friendly median is about $5,742–$15k (n=12). The Americas are about $6,000–$7,996 (n=9). The Middle East is about $45k–$54k (n=6). Africa is 2 leagues, and those ranges run from about $18k to $90k, so its median is rough. EuroProBasket, which sells camps, reports from its placement network that a first European contract for D2, D3 or NAIA graduates is often about $6,000–$22,000 net for the season, plus apartment and meals. These are estimates and a vendor range, not offers. Ranges for harder leagues in the same index are not a first-year salary.

Do first-year overseas basketball salaries differ by league?

Yes. We do not have a separate rookie survey. The page groups the reported import ranges in our league index by an editorial entry-friendliness score, then splits the entry-friendly band by region. Each dollar figure is a median of the low ends and a median of the high ends, and the count next to it is how many leagues are in the group. 54 of 78 ranges are a monthly figure times an estimated season length (4, 5, 6, 8 or 9 months). 15 were converted from euros at the rate stored on that league. 39 entry-friendly leagues have no salary range, so they are not in the median. The row-by-row sources are on the salary table.

Is housing included in a first-year overseas basketball salary?

Often, at the levels where a first contract sits, and it is not a promise. Housing is an editorial tag. We mark it "usually" on 45 of 68 entry-friendly leagues, and on 169 of 315 leagues overall. In the entry-friendly band, 19 are tagged "sometimes" and 4 "rarely". Confirm the apartment, utilities and meals in the written contract. Euro-Grades, a combine operator, says perks such as a paid apartment, car, flights and insurance can add €8,000–€20,000 a year in value. That is the operator's claim, not a line in your offer.

How much of a first-year overseas salary do you keep?

The range is not take-home pay. The contract has to say whether the salary is net or gross, the currency, the payday and how many months are paid. Under FIBA's Internal Regulations, total agent pay related to a player contract may not exceed 10% of that contract's value. On the entry-friendly median above (about $10k–$20k, n=29), 10% is about $1,044–$2,000. That is the cap, not a quote. A tryout fee, a flight and the days before the first payday are a separate budget. We do not state tax rates.