When you typically end a full season overseas you are ready to come home so fast. The basketball season can be exhausting if your team has made playoffs and you are there for an extra month or so. But its smart to keep contact with your former teams because you never know what will happen.

If you had a good relationship of course with that team it is very important. You play another season there or you could recommend someone that you know to play there. Even better they could help you find a new team if you want to move further ahead. All things are possible so it is great to keep in touch where you can!

Coming back to your hometown could be different because when you are away things just don’t stop. Life just goes on and the people around you do as well. It could feel weird when you come back and you realize that some things have changed and many things haven’t.

Make the most of your time at home and rest completely until you are ready to start back up with training and playing pick up ball. REST is very important when you end your season.

If you are able to host your own basketball camps to earn extra money that is a great way to start your Spring and Summers back home. Organizing a basketball camp can be quite difficult when you first start your planning.

We will provide some links that will help you get started with organizing your own camps or recommend small firms that could help you do it. One partner that we have is BSESPORTS and they have organized camps for WNBA players like Tamika Williams, Demya Walker, Adia Barnes and more. Those are just a sample of basketball players that they have helped and not limited to men!

Your first year out of college, you should probably keep saving your money in mind very often. Testing the basketball market overseas is key your first year. During your first or second years of playing professional basketball you will probably make the decision to stick with it or drop it depending on your success, failure or circumstances.

In which case, saving money for future plans is important if you plan to change careers. Professional basketball salaries only last during the season so you won’t receive any income outside of basketball if you are a regular average Joe. If you have endorsements and other outside rewards and benefits it could be substantial. You don’t have to think about saving so much.

Although I save most of the time and rarely buy things I try to keep in mind my goals and future plans if basketball does fail. An injury can change your career in a heartbeat so be smart with your money.

Key points for maintaining a good budget

1. Set a certain amount of money aside for food, entertainment, transportation (if not included)
2. Don’t lend money out to family, friends, and others (of course if it’s emergency)
3. Set a goal for which you will save during that year excluding expenses
4. Invest in some type of stock (Learn more about stocks here)
5. Open a savings account and keep a record of your spending at least once a month

If you follow some of those guidelines you should be set and ready to go.

After you first and second years of playing basketball you should have mastered budgeting your money, so now its time to increase your earnings has a professional athlete. If you perform well and improve each year it is important to ask for a raise and bonuses for each year you plan to play basketball with a particular club.

For example if you first year you earned $11,000 year (7-8 months average) and you performed outstanding and let your team to a championship then a raise is inevitable. So I guess you could next as for around 15,000 year next or more. This is just an estimate because it all depends on the team’s budget and how much they are will to invest in a player. So first impressions when you play are very important!

I don’t have exact basketball salaries here but if you perform well and get in the know you can ask for what you want. It all depends on exposure and where you have played.

There are many things that you might want to consider before going to play overseas. When I first left to play in 1999 I got two big bags (maybe too much). But one big durable luggage bag is sufficient for travel overseas. A duffle bag and backpack for practice and travel if the team doesn’t provided it (small instances).

Frequent Flyer Bonuses

Frequent Flyer programs are smart to start because teams pay for your flight and travel in the country in your do fly within the country where you play. With all flights paid why not benefit and get a free flight and awards?! I’m signed up with Lufthansa and it covers all Star Alliance members which include United Airlines, Spanair and more. Flights across the Atlantic can earn you up to 3,000 miles and within Europe depending where you flight 500+. So get your cards before you leave and have them ready at the airport.

I suggest that you pack kind of light because there are more restrictions with luggage weight flying overseas. If you need something urgent you can buy overseas so take your most favorite gear. That brings me to basketball shoes. If it’s not in your contract then its best to buy your shoes in your home country. If you are living in the USA then its much cheaper to buy in the states because basketball sneaker prices are almost doubled, unfortunately. Take your favorite yummy candy, books and supplies because more than likely you won’t find it overseas. Especially books in English, that is unless it’s a translation book or dictionary If you’re in need of a good book overseas Amazon Bookstore is the best and cheapest place to buy books online. Shipping is cheap and standard low rates even for shipping books internationally!

Digital Cameras and Camcorders when you are abroad is nice to have because you can show your family and friends your team and environment. You can get your photos developed online and send them directly to your family. There are several companies that I use for online developing: Shutterfly (the best), Online Photo Album (Flip Album), Snapfish Online Developing. Two cheap places to buy great digital cameras are Amazon and TigerDirect.

TigerDirect sells computer equipment which brings me to my next point, communication back home and calls. With the internet being a popular way to communicate with family and friends its a great idea to have a laptop with you when you play overseas. Why? Although laptops seem expensive they are much cheaper now then when I first purchase mine! But calling rates with cell phones can become expensive. Calls from a cell phone could cost up to $1.00 per minute to the USA. But calls within Europe could cost up to $0.50 cents.

So if you have a laptop and have an internet connection it could save you hundreds on your phone bill. Some people have run up phone bills from $500 a month. Yeah that’s too much to spend for calls so its best to either get a calling card so check the best rates from the particular country or find a good laptop. I suggest Dell, Apple G-Book, Compaq, and Toshiba laptops for traveling. Writing letters and emails to stay in touch with family its cheap and economical. If you’re an
ticipating being homesick visit our homesick guide for help and support!

NOTE: Best Deals on basketball shoes and jerseys at Bonusbasket.com

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This question is often asked because it’s very different from getting recruited from high school into college. Playing professional basketball and finding teams can be very bizarre and frustrating. But not to deter you away from your dreams, however it can be a task if you’re not an all-american coming out of college or you don’t come from a top 25 Division I team.

First, all your desire and will to play further than college will take you far as long as you trust your gut feeling about all your decisions. If you doubt something deep inside, more than likely you trust that feeling and weigh your options more thoroughly. When you leave college basketball you definitely on your own and making decisions about where to play can be challenging.

Second, you will have to find someway for teams to find you. There are many college basketball players coming out of college that want to continued playing basketball overseas and the states just as you. The most common way to get started is to find someone to represent you and help find a team that fits your needs. Basketball manager or basketball agent is the correct terms for people who you hire to find placement for you. You may have seen Jerry McGuire with Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooden and it’s a ballpark view of the player/agent relationship. So the next question you might ask is “SHOW ME THE MONEY”.

Playing professional basketball has many rewarding things and making big money is possible if you have goals and determined to do well.

Third, before you can be showed the money you have to prove what you are worth. Coming out of college being well known is good but maintaining great/consistent statistics throughout your career is important as well. You don’t have to average 20pts or more but a good shooting percentage is important, turnover/assist ratio, rebounds, and hustle points that aren’t on the stat sheet. So if you are coming on your senior year be sure to write these important points down and create a goal for your final showcase season in college. It will help and insure you a place on a team overseas.

So if you have covered these suggestions then I can show you how to ask your agent to SHOW YOU THE MONEY. Get your best basketball game video tapes ready to send to your new basketball manager. Depending on what country your agent is pushing or which is interested in you its possible to make a bit of change during 7-8 months of a normal basketball season.

Visit the best overseas basketball teams section to get further information about which countries to avoid and the ones that you should pay most attention to!