Iraq Basketball League Salaries (Iraq SuperLeague/IBL- 2021)
Iraq Superleague Basketball Salaries [Chart]
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Salary Ranges: |
$1,500 - $8,000 USD/month |
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Most Commonly Reported Salary (Imports): |
$4,000 - $5,000 USD/mth (25%) |
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Lowest Reported Salary: |
$1,500 USD/mth |
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MAX Salary (Imports): |
$8,000 USD/mth |
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Sources Referenced [Players, Media, Coaches]: |
14 |
Source : Josecolorado.com, Professional Basketball Players Survey Data [2021]
Iraq Basketball League Salaries
While Iraq Basketball League (IBL) salaries have gone down in recent years, overseas basketball players can still expect sizable money with $4,000 - $5,000 USD/per month being the average income for professional basketball players in 2021.
Based on our overseas basketball salaries chart that examined over 100+ countries worldwide, that would put Iraq in the upper pay tier of the world.
With that being said:
Playing in this conflicted country is not without its complications - especially for foreigners.
So let’s examine a few considerations - financially and professionally - to consider before flying over to Baghdad.
Iraq Basketball League Salaries can be quite lucrative for overseas basketball players.
Iraq’s professional Basketball league (ibl)
Prior to its economic downturn, Iraqi basketball afforded some of the highest salaries in the entire Middle East.
Consider:
In 2015 the Wall Street Journal reported players earning “as much as $20,000 (USD) a month” playing in Iraq’s top professional division - the Iraq SuperLeague.
In fact:
Allegedly, it wasn’t uncommon for multiple imports to be earning somewhere between $4,000 - $10,00 per month back then.
Even the top national team players were earning $12,000 USD/month according to that same article.
That’s because teams in the Iraq Basketball League (IBL) - known now as the SuperLeague - are entirely funded by the Iraqi government.
Private sponsors can also help with but the bulk of the salaries comes from the feds.
So if the Iraqi government/economy is doing well then so too are its basketball teams/league.
And vice versa.
If Iraq is in rough shape then so too are its pro clubs.
So when you reflect on what the Iraqi people have been through in the past decade, it’s no wonder salaries have decreased.
Iraq Basketball Salaries over time (imports)
Just consider Iraq’s current situation:
Continuous conflict in the region (both religious and political)
Global health pandemic
ISIS presence (preventing mobility in certain regions of the country)
But by how much have salaries decreased today?
Multiple agents and current players in Iraq have told me to expect somewhere between $1,500 - $8,000 USD/per month playing professional basketball in the Iraq SuperLeague in 2021.
So still not bad.
But about a 50-plus per cent decrease in wages since the SuperLeague allowed imports roughly nine years ago (2012).
What Iraqi Basketball team pays the most?
Currently there are 12 teams in the IBL.
But if you are looking for the biggest payday possible in Iraq pro basketball, then overseas players say South Oil Club (also known as Nift Al-Basra) and Al Naft Bahgdad are the teams to aim for.
The two clubs have employed multiple high-profile Iraqi and foreigner players in the past.
Both teams have combined to win the past six league championships so you should expect the trend to continue into the future.
Demario Mayfield in iraq
Infamous former Georgia Bullsdog guard, Demario Mayfield, is one player who has experienced South Oil Club’s sky-high salaries firsthand.
He claimed a six-figure income ($16,666 USD/per month) in 2017 according to a NBC News report.
Meanwhile former Ole Miss star, Marshall Henderson, reported $10,000 USD/per month a couple years earlier.
That was with a different team, Nift Al-Janoub, in Baghdad.
Marshall Henderson earns a high salary playing professional basketball in Iraq.
While lucrative, just know:
Imports in the Middle East have massive expectations placed on them.
As one American import put it in the VICE Sports documentary above:
“They bring us over here to be LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant all wrapped in one. So you got to go out there and do your best impression.”
Is it safe to play basketball in Iraq?
The biggest concern most Americans will have playing professional basketball in Iraq won’t be:
Coaching
Facilities
Competitiveness
Winning
It’ll be safety.
And more specifically:
WILL IRAQI TEAMS PAY WELL ENOUGH FOR YOU TO RISK YOUR OWN SAFETY?
As North Americans, the news, stories and publicity that comes out of Iraq is overwhelmingly negative.
In many parts of the world people view it as a war-torn, dangerous and bloody nightmare.
Players may simply get cold feet coming to the SuperLeague due to security reasons.
But based on multiple reports published - both written and in video - the overwhelming majority of Americans players seem to leave the country with a positive and favorable experience.
Iraq pays well for high-end overseas basketball players coming to the Middle East but it has security concerns.
Some ways Americans have described the experience in the past were:
Eye-opening
Changing their view of the country
Being in awe of how everyday Iraqis actually “loved” and “idolized” Americans
But that doesn’t mean Iraq is without its complications.
Far from it.
On the other side of the coin, players have also reported seeing:
Car bombings
Car jackings
Kidnappings
Street explosives going off
Shots fired in broad day light into crowded areas
Understand something:
I cannot endorse or condone playing pro basketball in Iraq.
Many countries in the world offer overseas basketball leagues with shady living conditions.
Iraq is not alone in that regard.
So I am not trying to stigmatize the country in any way.
In fact:
I played professional basketball in El Salvador - one of the most dangerous countries in the world - for multiple years.
Other players have gone into great-depth regarding the dangers that comes from that experience in the past as well (see below).
So playing in these types of countries are not without its occasional scary run-ins (maybe I’ll write a book one day on it too).
But if you are diligent, cautious and respectful then many problems can be avoided.
As a grown-up, you will have to make a responsible and informed decision on whether this experience would be worth it for you, your family, your finances and your mental health.
Think long and hard.
CONCLUSION
So there you have it - professional basketball in Iraq.
Yes, it is a thing (if you didn’t already know).
And yes, it does have some safety concerns as many in the West would imagine.
But the Iraq SuperLeague is also in the higher-tier of overseas basketball salaries in the world, making it a viable option for many players looking for a big payday.
Got any questions or concerns about professional basketball in the Iraq SuperLeague?
Let me know in the comments below!
Jose Colorado is a 6-year professional basketball player helping others achieve their dreams of pro basketball with a proven and tested approach to overseas basketball.
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