Five Pointers for Becoming a Pro Basketball Player Abroad

The desire to play basketball professionally starts for a lot of people. How would you begin? With whom do you converse? How should you proceed?

Starting this procedure might feel like swimming in the middle of the ocean for college basketball players who have never traveled abroad or who don’t know anyone who has played professional basketball abroad. Time is of the importance, and you don’t know which direction to go.

You ought to be aware of your ability to play in the NBA or G-League at this stage of your career. The majority of collegiate basketball players who choose to pursue professional careers may play overseas in regions including Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.

So, how do I play basketball overseas? is the most frequent question you receive from collegiate athletes.

The five practical suggestions that follow should help you get your mind straight and determine which way to swim. But be advised that getting a job playing overseas is NOT EASY and will need a significant financial commitment, one that has no assurance of return, unless you have a lot of contacts or were a standout player at a major college basketball program.

Five Useful Ideas for Traveling Abroad to Play Basketball

1. Make a highlight Video.

Making a basketball highlight movie is really essential and may give you a sense of accomplishment, even if it may appear simple. A few brief reminders:

Select highlights from a game when you performed well against a reputable school or institution, if you have any.
Make sure the movie is the right length. 3 or 4 minutes at most!
Organize the movie according to expertise.
Don’t listen to the music. Even though you adore Migos, their music might not be understood in another country or help you land a job; only your own playing would.
Finish with an unedited copy of the whole game recording. Half a game is usually plenty.

I suggest enlisting the aid of a school employee to assist you in editing the video. It might take a lot of time to gather the relevant game cassettes and arrange everything in order.

In this process, coaches and team managers are frequently useful. After collecting the game tapes, if they are unable to assist, and if you are unfamiliar with any editing software (iMovie is included with every Mac and is very easy to learn with a little effort), I am positive that someone on your campus has access to some software that could assist you in compiling your clips.

If you’re willing to invest, a fast Google search will turn up a few businesses that offer highlight film services. Just be careful to express your desires to them precisely.

2. Look for Your Own Chances to Travel Abroad

This might be everything from locating a touring team or overseas academy to purchasing your own ticket and sleeping on someone’s sofa.

Basketball teams are far more inclined to send someone who is already on the continent for a trial than to fly someone they have never heard of over.

There are respectable traveling groups that have given men visibility and employment. Many of them are also outright frauds. The same holds true for “academies” that are located abroad.

Most of what you can aspire for is just to get your foot in the door. Learn about the international leagues and the players that play there, along with the colleges from which they are recruited. This might assist you in establishing reasonable goals.

3. Look for a representative for basketball

Are there any previous teammates or buddies that play basketball who have agents willing to represent you? Have you received a call from an agent you like?

Don’t give up if not; you still have some choices.

I don’t have enough room to discuss dealing with agents and choosing who to work with here, but that’s a whole other story. In my upcoming free webinar on how to play basketball abroad, I’ll go into further detail regarding locating and collaborating with agents.

4. The network

By putting oneself out there, you may frequently run across someone who, in turn, may know someone who, say, performed in Germany.

There’s no telling where it can go if you can establish a connection and get to know that individual. Do any former students from your university have professional basketball experience abroad? Do any of your old high school teammates currently play abroad? Do they know any players that have played abroad? Do the coaches at your college know any former players? Agents any?

Once more, you never know where a single relationship may lead you. The opportunities are unlimited here. My suggestion is to work hard, show yourself to others, show them respect, and seek for aid without coming off as desperate. You never know where you could encounter someone who is prepared to provide a hand.

Pickup games are another fantastic option for networking. Where do the foreign guys spend the summer playing in your area? Where do they exercise?

If you can compete with some of those men on the court and win, those guys may be useful contacts for you in the future.

5. Establish Reasonable Expectations

Many athletes are misinformed about playing hoops overseas. People assume that international basketball is what it’s all about because they hear about players earning hundreds of thousands of dollars and purchasing Escalades.

In actuality, playing abroad basketball typically means living in subpar apartments without a washer or dryer, traveling long distances by bus, playing in front of crowds of less than 500 spectators, and tiny towns. And all for just $2000 a month?

Since 2008, a lot has changed, and international basketball teams—who mostly depend on sponsorship revenue—have far less money than they had in the past.

I want to be honest, but I’m not trying to be a downer. It is quite possible that you will be very disappointed if you believe that playing basketball abroad is glamorous.

What level you believe you can play is another expectation to take into account. Having played for Davidson College in 2005 (preceding Curry), I had the good fortune to obtain a contract with a Pro B France team.

Unless you have amazing numbers, be ready to start off overseas at a lesser level than you anticipate and making less money than you wish if you are coming from a mid- to low-level DI school. Players typically pay their dues.

I enjoy relating the tale of Brad Oleson, who played in the third level of Spain for three years in an amazing town named Santiago de Compostela after attending DII Alaska Fairbanks and being undrafted.

He currently gets EXTREMELY high money playing for Barcelona, one of the greatest clubs in Europe. However, he had to first earn his keep and establish his worth in the lesser divisions.