Šarūnas Jasikevičius’ player urges EuroLeague to publish salaries

Braxton Key wants the EuroLeague to publish the salaries of its players and coaches, arguing that pay is part of the context surrounding professional basketball.

The 29-year-old American, who joined Istanbul’s Fenerbahçe from Valencia this summer, said fans should know when a player earning €500,000 performs at a level associated with a salary of €1.5 million or more. They should also have that context when a highly paid player performs poorly, he argued.

“

I have always wondered why EuroLeague player salaries are not made public. Not because fans need to know how much money is in someone’s bank account, but because salary is part of the context of professional basketball.

Key said transparency would be especially important in a league without a traditional salary cap. Each team operates with its own budget, making it difficult to determine a player’s true market value. Without knowing what other players earn, he said, players cannot effectively challenge the claim that a particular salary reflects their market value.

“

You can’t negotiate your value if you don’t know what the market is.

“​​You can’t negotiate your value if you don’t know what the market is,” Key wrote. He also said public salary figures could benefit the EuroLeague itself by creating more discussion, debate and stories around the competition. “More discussion means more engagement, which ultimately means more value for the league,” he wrote.

Key made his EuroLeague debut last season, averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. Before moving to Europe, he tried to establish himself in the NBA, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.

“

More discussion means more engagement, which ultimately means more value for the league.