Overseas Basketball Salaries: Belize Basketball League [Players Survey]
Belize Basketball Salaries Summary:
MONTHLY SALARY RANGES: $501USD - $2500USD
MOST COMMONLY REPORTED MONTHLY SALARY: $1000USD - $1500USD (40.74%)
LOWEST REPORTED MONTHLY SALARY: $501USD - $999 (29.63%)
HIGHEST REPORTED MONTHLY SALARY: $2,000USD - $2,500USD (11.11%)
SALARY RANKING IN CENTRAL AMERICA PRO BASKETBALL: No.4
NUMBER OF PLAYERS SURVEYED: 27
In Belize - and in the NEBL - the most common professional basketball salary is between $1000USD - $1500USD per month with 40.74% of players earning this amount.
The overall range is between $501USD - $2500USD per month.
While Belize and the NEBL earning ceiling ($2500) isn’t the greatest in comparison to many other countries we examined in our global overseas salaries chart, it does give a steady pay cheque for many overseas basketball players.
This should improve over time for a number of reasons.
Let’s explore why.
Belize monthly basketball salaries (players survey)
BElize PRO BASKETBALL salaries: National elite basketball league (NEBL)
The National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) is the main professional men’s basketball league in Belize.
It was created in 2014 and since then, the San-Pedro TigerSharks have been the top club, winning 3 league championships (2019, 2015, 2014).
Close behind are the Smart Belize Hurricanes with 2 championships (2018, 2016).
In total, Belize has 8 professional teams:
BELIZE CITY DEFENDERS
BELMOPAN RED BANDITS
GRIGA DREAM BALLERS
ORANGE WALK RUNNING REBELS
PUNTA GORDA PANTHERS
SAN PEDRO TIGERSHARKS
SMART BELIZE HURRICANES
VERDES
In previous blog posts I outlined how certain Central American clubs can max out players with money disproportionate to their league and talent level - going as high as $5000+ per month in USD.
San-Pedro - and the NEBL as whole - doesn’t seem to fit into that category.
But it is still far from a bad option financially.
Our player data shows that import salaries are fairly consistent across the board but less flashy.
Consider:
Belize’s highest reported salary monthly salary did not exceed $2500USD
70.37% of all import salaries fell between $501 - $1500USD per month
Belizean insiders didn’t point to one team overwhelmingly out-paying others
Outside of the hard data we collected, maybe the most important factor we came across is the fact that the NEBL is a growing league with many people quickly getting behind it.
Clear signs are everywhere that basketball salaries will steadily increase into the future.
Sign #1:
In 2018, the Belizean government debuted a new state-of-art facility named the Belize City Civic Center.
This venue:
Serves as the official court for national team events
Hosts NEBL pro games
Seats 5,000 people
…and more.
Needless to say:
This wasn’t cheap.
But obviously the government thought it was worth the investment.
Sign #2:
In that same year in 2018, the senior men’s national team hosted the FIBA AmeriCup 2021 Pre-Qualifier to drum up more excitement around national basketball.
Sign #3:
Belize made a serious statement about their focus on basketball after that tournament though.
They hired 7-year former NBA player Milt Palacio to become the senior men’s national team head coach - something you rarely see in Central America.
Sign #4:
Within the NEBL, game-day production and presentation is impressive.
Check out the few opening minutes of the video below for an example.
With film being such a high priority for many overseas basketball players, this definitely will help attract higher-tier imports in the future, increasing the overall value of the league as a result.
Sign #5:
This past year, a new team - Punta Gorda Panthers - was introduced to the NEBL.
And despite being an expansion club, the Panthers already are offering salaries consistent with the rest of the league’s import wages.
How do I know this?
I had an agreement in place to play with them - although it never ended up happening in the end.
Sign #6:
Finally:
Here’s a great documentary I found summing up all the positives from above:
The importance of basketball in Belize
Its impact on youth
Its impact to combat violence and youth crime
In it, a few NEBL teams make an appearance.
By now, I think you get the point:
Belize’s basketball salaries aren’t the best in Central America at the moment.
But they are solid.
And more importantly, they are growing with loads momentum behind them.
AVERAGE SALARY PER YEAR PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL IN belize
The NEBL typically runs from about January - July (6-7 months), making it one of the longer professional league seasons in Central America.
But with the most recent season shutting down prior to the playoffs, the NEBL is looking at increasing the length of its 2021 campaign.
Photo credit: NEBL Facebook page
That spells great news for import players looking to play in Belize.
Since…
The most commonly reported salary range is $1,000USD - $1,500USD per month
The middle of that range is $1250
Multiply [$1250x7] for the number of months in the season
At the minimum then..
THE AVERAGE foreign PLAYER’S YEARLY INCOME, IF HE WERE TO PLAY professional basketball ONLY IN belize, WOULD BE $8,750USD.
In theory, an import could have a decent amount of stability just playing in Belize once a year since the season is so long (and then find a part/full-time job in the off-season).
One downside of the NEBL scheduling though is the Central American Club Championships (COCABA) a tournament of the best pro clubs in the region.
With COCABA running in December, the time between the end of the NEBL season (early July) and COCABA (5 months later) is too long for teams to pay for an import player to stay in Belize until then.
That means the winner of the NEBL will have to pay:
Round trip flights for its COCABA imports + pay salaries/food/accommodation etc.
OR
Have no have imports at all.
Indeed, in 2016 - the last time Belize competed in COCABA - the San-Pedro TigerSharks did not carry any imports.
My guess would be costs were the issue.
Belize’s BASKETBALL SALARY RANKING IN CENTRAL AMERICA
In terms of talent level, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize are the only countries that can compare to Central America’s main powerhouse - Panama.
But with Costa Rica’s professional league being essentially non-existent, that leaves the other 3.
For as much talent that Belize has, it may be disappointing to hear that the NEBL’s pay grade leaves much to be desired against similarly as skilled leagues in the region.
Highest reported salaries amongst most competitive Central american leagues
But as mentioned there is much reason to believe this will improve in the near future.
In fact:
The NEBL will see to that.
The league hired a new commissioner during the pandemic to bring that vision to life.
For players looking to advance their career, visibility and basketball salary, Belize is a great stepping stone and competitive league to get to more lucrative Central and Latin America countries.
Belize Basketball Salaries Recap:
Players in Belize can earn anywhere from $501USD - $2500USD per month
Belize’s basketball salaries should increase in the future as there is much support
With a longer pro season, players can enjoy a steady and consistent pay day in Belize
Improving basketball infrastructure makes Belize an intriguing prospect
Have any questions about Belize basketball salaries?
Drop a comment below and let me know.
Jose Colorado is a five-year professional basketball player helping others achieve their goals of pro basketball through a proven, research-based approach.
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