When it comes to professional basketball, most of you may think that NBA is the only high-paying league. Many countries have pro-leagues that pay pretty impressive salaries to their basketball players. Euroleague is among the best overseas basketball leagues that pay high wages after NBA.
How much do European basketball players make? The average basketball players make $500k to $800k per season, which is handsome. The salary of basketball players depends on performance skills and experience. The salaries of the best players range between US$2 million to $5.4 million per year, which is even more than some NBA players.
Every player dreams of being a part of European basketball due to the highest paid salaries in the world. If you are curious about European basketball players’ salaries, this post is for you. Read and discover more:
Average Salaries of European Basketball Players
Each country offers different salary packages to professional basketball players. The income gap between the average and highest-paid players depends on their performance.
Euroleague is among the best-paying basketball league all over Europe. This league is devoted to arranging club competitions for European basketball players. Unlike NBA, Euroleague teams are not allowed to disclose information about the salary packages of players.
Most of the available data about the European basketball players’ salaries is based on rumors. However, an estimated average salary package of the Euroleague players ranges from $150,000 to $ 5 million per year. The overall Euroleague basketball budget is $46 million to $ 47 million per year in 2021 and 2022.
Below is the table showing a summary of the budget and average salaries of European Basketball players.
| Overall Player Salary Range | US $1,50,000-US $5.4M/year |
| Average Player Salary | 400,000- 800,000 USD per year |
| Lowest Reported Salary | 65,000-150,000 USD per year |
| Overall Team Budget(2022) | 46.3 -46.9 USD per year |
Euroleague tournaments start in October and end in May yearly, featuring 16 teams. Some of the teams are: Real Madrid, Zalgiris, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Valencia Basket, Olympiacos, Baskonia, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Valencia Basket, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Anadolu Efes, Olympiacos, among others.
What Is the Average Salary Of an Overseas Basketball Player?
The average salaries of some overseas basketball leagues are below. Let’s look;
| Region/Country | League | Average USD Salary | Max USD Salary |
| Europe | Euroleague | $500K-800K Per Year | $5.4million/year |
| Spain | ACB | $250k-500k per year | $4Million/year |
| Italy | Serie A | $180K-350k per year | $2 Million/year |
| Greece | Greek A1 | $60k-250k per year | $2.5Million/year |
| Germany | BBL | $100k-350k per year | $1Million per year |
| Israel | Premier L. | $80k-250k per year | $1.7 million per year |
| France | LNB Pro A | $80k-200k per year | $300k per year |
| Turkey | BCL | $250k-500k per year | $3.7 Million/yr |
Who is the Highest Paid European Basketball Player?
Nichola Mirotic(Barcelona) is the highest-paid European basketball player and was offered $5.4 million in the session 2019 and 2020. That’s far less than the NBA’s highest-paid player, Steph curry, because Steph curry’s salary is 40.2$ million in the 2019-20 season. Shane Larkin (Efes) is the second-highest-paid European basketball player who got the US $3.5 Million/Year.
Besides these salaries, Euroleague players get many benefits such as expensive cars and apartments, and the best thing is zero tax deduction from their salaries.
Here’s the table showing some other highest-paid European Basketball players.
| Name | Salary Per Year |
| Vasilje MiUS$3.1 M/yr | US$3.1 M/Year |
| Jan Vesely (Fenerbahce) | US$2.5M/Year |
| Nikola Milutinov (CKSA) | US$2.5M/Year |
| Walter Tavares (Real Madrid) | US$2.1M/Year |
| Nicolo Melli (Olimpia Milano) | US$2.2M/Year |
| Nick Calathes (Barcelona) | US$1.8M/yr |
| Nano de Colo (Fenerbahce) | US$1.9M/yr |
How much do Basketball Players Make in Germany?
German basketball players have average salaries ranging between $100,000 to $300,000 per year. Salaries can be more than one million dollars for players playing in the top league (Bundesliga).
Bundesliga has 18 teams, and their budget fluctuates, as low as $10 million and as high as $25 million per year.
Among the 100 pro leagues in the world, the Germany Top League BBL is among the highest-paid league for overseas players. Germany’s pro circuit (BBL, Pro A, Pro B, Regionalliga 1-2) players get $1,000 to $10,000 per month.
How much do Italian Basketball Players Make?
Pro basketball players in Italy make the US $2.25 million per year. Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A is the main basketball league that pays an average of $150,000 to $350,000 per year. Salaries can be more or less depending on the basketball club.
Players in the lower division, such as Serie C Silver/D, get $500 to $100,000 per month.
Sergio Rodgriguez is the highest-paid player in Serie, whose salary is 2$ million per year.
Final Thoughts
NBA players get the highest salaries globally, and Euroleague is the second most highly-paid overseas basketball league in the world. The salaries of the European basketball players are as high as USD 5.4million per year and as low as $65,000 depending on the league, performance, skills, and experience.
Nichola Mirotic is the highest-paid basketball player in Europe who got $5.4/year. The salaries of German basketball players range from USD 100,000 to 300,000/year. BBL is the highest-paid league in Germany.
The average salary of Italian basketball players ranges from $150,000 to $350,000 per year.
