The Most Expensive European Basketball Transfers

[Lakas Fan Yo]

I am posting this for general information for American fans here since the forum seems to be under the false impression that Rubio was the most expensive European basketball transfer in history, which is untrue.

This is the actual list of the most expensive and maybe this will give some better perspective to Americans here about the difference between the NBA and Europe. A lot of Americans in this forum are saying that "only 5-6 teams in Europe" can pay a good salary, "only a handful of players in Europe make a good salary", etc. It's not really true.

Also keep in mind that European salaries are net income. Not gross like in the NBA. In the NBA players lose 35% of their income to federal taxes, 8% to player union retirement fees, and 4% to agent fees. They also have to pay state taxes based on what city they play away games in, which averages from about 5%-8%. The European salaries are listed in net terms, after such expenses are already deducted. So that's a huge difference from NBA salaries which are listed in gross terms.

Also keep in mind that the NBA itself has said about 3 times already that max NBA contracts might only be around $10 million under the new NBA CBA. This is something that I think NBA fans are forgetting about, when they compare European salaries to NBA ones.


Some of these transfer fees include buyouts and some are just salaries, and I included the ones of 5 million euros and up because that is about the standard rate where star salaries begin in Europe.

The most expensive European basketball transfers in history are:


1. Josh Childress - €15.1 million euros

2. Juan Carlos Navarro - €14 million euros

3. Theo Papaloukas - €10.5 million euros

4. Matjaz Smodis - €10 million euros

4. Luis Scola - €10 million euros

6. Bostjan Nachbar - €9.6 million euros

7. Felipe Reyes - €9 million euros

7. Arvydas Macijuaskas - €9 million euros

9. Ricky Rubio - €8.9 million euros

10. Sarunas Jasikevicius - €8.7 million euros

11. Carlos Delfino - €8.5 million euros

12. Erazem Lorbek - €8 million euros

12. Sergei Monya - €8 million euros

14. Dominique Wilkins - €7.8 million euros

15. Viktor Khyrapa - €7.2 million euros

16. Fran Vazquez - €7 million euros

16. Zoran Planinic - €7 million euros

18. Vassilis Spanoulis - €6.9 million euros

19. Lazaros Papadopoulos - €6.6 million euros

20. Ramunas Siskauskas - €6.5 million euros

21. Nenad Krstic - €6 million euros

22. David Andersen - €6 million euros

22. Darjus Lavrinovic - €6 million euros

22. Aleksey Savrasenko - €6 million euros

22. Lior Eliyahu - €6 million euros

22. Jorge Garbajosa - €6 million euros

27. Dimitris Diamantidis - €5.7 million euros

28. Tiago Splitter - €5.6 million euros

29. JR Holden - €5.55 million euros

30. Nikos Zisis - €5.5 million euros

30. Igor Rakocevic - €5.5 million euros

32. Ersan Ilyasova - €5.4 million euros

33. Carlos Arroyo - €5.25 million euros

34. Panagiotis Vasilopoulos - €5.2 million euros

35. Ioannis Bourousis - €5.1 million euros

35. Terrence Morris - €5.1 million euros

37. Mike Batiste - €5.1 million euros

38. Marcus Brown - €5 million euros

[bdreason]

Not impressed with the pay, or the players.


Thanks for the list though.

[SAKOTXA]

14 million euros are about 20 million US dollars right?

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Not impressed with the pay, or the players.


Thanks for the list though.

According to Childress he makes = to a $13 million a year NBA contract. So when you look at that number, realize that means he is making like $13 million a year in the NBA.

The NBA claims new max NBA contracts under the new CBA will be around $10 million. So the top paid player in Europe would be making $3 million more than a max NBA contract. It seems Americans just can't grasp this for some reason.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

14 million euros are about 20 million US dollars right?

Yes, Childress is said to make about $20 million dollars net income. Or as he says it, the same as a $13 million a year NBA contract under his "best estimation". Although the salary in euros is more like 15 million, but he gets paid in dollars because he requests it.

[ZenMaster]

Transfer fee = actual buy out paid from one club to the other

Not salaries, agent fees or perks like housing and car. That's on the side and a different matter.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Transfer = actual buy out paid from one club to the other

Not salaries, agent fees or perks like housing and car..

You are an idiot. And I did not include agent fees, houses, cars or anything like that in this. Not one such thing is included in those figures. Please go troll the Rubio forums on the ACB website.

[ZenMaster]

You are an idiot. And I did not include agent fees, houses, cars or anything like that in this. Not one such thing is included in those figures. Please go troll the Rubio forums on the ACB website.

Haha this is what you say when you have no comeback because you where wrong.. Way to go Lakas, now go talk to some of your NBA scout friends, they're not doing anything anyway as you say...

[chains5000]

Some of these transfer fees include buyouts and some are just salaries, and I included the ones of 5 million euros and up because that is about the standard rate where star salaries begin in Europe.

The most expensive European basketball transfers in history are:

Trolling.
Again.

[1manfastbreak]

why does any of this matter? the best players are in America and in the NBA. Europe will never have a Kobe, or a Lebron, or Dwade, or Melo, or DHoward, or Deron Williams, or Chris Paul.

so take all your european players with their HUGE contracts and go lose in the olympics some more. thanks.

edit: dirk is nice tho..and manu, and gasol.

[chains5000]

why does any of this matter? the best players are in America and in the NBA. Europe will never have a Kobe, or a Lebron, or Dwade, or Melo, or DHoward, or Deron Williams, or Chris Paul.

so take all your european players with their HUGE contracts and go lose in the olympics some more. thanks.

edit: dirk is nice tho..and manu, and gasol.

He doesn't care about that, only about making Rubio look like a normal player.

[ZenMaster]

why does any of this matter? the best players are in America and in the NBA. Europe will never have a Kobe, or a Lebron, or Dwade, or Melo, or DHoward, or Deron Williams, or Chris Paul.

so take all your european players with their HUGE contracts and go lose in the olympics some more. thanks.

edit: dirk is nice tho..and manu, and gasol.

Dirk is a former MVP, when you think about it it's actually pretty crazy that a guy from Germany could call himself the best player on the planet for a year..

[1manfastbreak]

Dirk is a former MVP, when you think about it it's actually pretty crazy that a guy from Germany could call himself the best player on the planet for a year..

dirk is one of the most skilled shooters in the NBA. Dirk uses his size perfectly, off a pivot foot from the elbow, he is damn near impossible to stop. much respect for dirks game.

[Qwertyazerty]

edit: dirk is nice tho..and manu, and gasol.

Change Manu (Argnetina) for Parker (France) and you'll have it right. They are both in the same team (Spurs) and the second is a European player.


BTW, Lakas, can you give us a link to that info please??? In order to see what the source is and how can that source include salaries in the amount payed for transfers in FIBA??? Because it is the first time I see something like that...

[SpanishACB]

Nothing to see here guys, thread starter doesn't understand the difference between signing and contract fees.


It's like saying Cristiano Ronaldo makes 100 million euros a year, when this in fact is just what Real Madrid paid for him.