Casey explains the differences.
by Cas
ey Jacobsen
If I had a dollar for each time someone asked me what the differences are between the NBA and European basketball (FIBA), I could retire right now at the young age of 28. It’s a good question, and one that can’t be answered in few words.
Some background:
European basketball has been steadily improving for the past 30 years. Long before there was a Dirk Nowitzki, there was a Drazen Petrovic and an Arvydas Sabonis. Each year (or two), there were more European basketball players crossing the waters and testing their skill in the NBA. Fans of the game noticed the subtle change, but European basketball wasn’t really considered by most to be anywhere near the level to that of Americans. In fact, the USA was so dominant that for many years, we would send an Olympic team of college amateurs to compete against the professionals of every other country and still win the majority of competitions.
After the gap between Europe and the USA started to shrink in the 1980s, we decided to unleash our professionals and let the NBA players represent our country’s basketball ability. Our former dominance was soon restored, and it reached its pinnacle during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, when the USA assembled the greatest basketball team to ever walk on a hardwood floor. The “Dream Team,” led by Jordan, Barkley, Magic and Bird destroyed every country in their path and cruised to a gold medal. The following Olympics in 1996, the “Dream Team 2” also won easily with the average margin of victory over 30 ppg. In the last 16 Olympics, USA basketball has brought home the gold 13 times.
When that “Dream Team” era of players retired, however, something weird happened… The European teams no longer feared us. They already faced the Dream Team, and although they lost badly, in their minds, they realized that any other team that the U.S. puts on the floor will be inferior to the one led by MJ. As a result, these European teams who had been playing with each other for years developed a confidence that matched their growing skills at every position.
Countries like Greece, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey, etc. were catching up to the USA and in many cases, beating them. Players like Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Hedo Turkoglu, Manu Ginobili and Pau Gasol were well-known players in all basketball circles. The NBA Draft was quickly becoming an international event. In the 2004 Olympics, Team USA, even with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, took bronze. The gap had officially closed.
Basketball used to be an American game, and although the NBA is unquestionably the best league in the world, European basketball (FIBA) has significantly caught up and is still gaining ground. (If you don’t agree, think if all the European players who are starring in the NBA were still in Europe playing in their own countries.)
I’ve played four years in the NBA and another four years in Europe, so I have some experience with both. The similarity is obvious: basketball. Regardless of what country you pl
ay the game in, the basic principles of putting the ball in the basket still apply. But there are some significant differences between playing in the NBA and in Europe, both on and off the court:
1. The NBA game is much more about individual players than Europe. When you watch the Cleveland Cavaliers play, you’ll see LeBron James play one-on-one at least 15 times per game. He’s the best player. He gets the ball. The rules allow him to play isolation against his man—this idea is the core of what an NBA offense is about. In Europe, it is about team offense and defense. There are one-on-one opportunities, but they must come out of the team’s playbook, not your own. Even the most talented offensive players in Europe average less than 20 ppg.
2. FIBA rules are similar to those of college basketball in America. Games are only 40 minutes long (compared to 48 minutes in the NBA), the three-point lines are closer, and pure zone defenses are allowed. There are other smaller rule differences, but these I listed above are the ones that significantly change the way the game is played.
3. The NBA is about athleticism; Europe is about skill. Of course, the NBA players are skilled, but that isn’t what drives the League. Athleticism is the trump card. Even if a player has minimal skill, as long as he can run fast, slide quickly and jump high, an NBA team will find him a roster spot. The idea behind this philosophy is that coaches can teach a player how to make a jump shot, make good passes, and so on… but you can’t teach a 40-inch vertical leap! In Europe, if you can’t dribble, pass and shoot, then you don’t play—at least not with an elite club. It’s as simple as that.
4. European coaches have a lot of power and influence on their teams. Coaching in the NBA is a difficult task because of two major factors: 1) The players make a lot more money than the coach does (except Phil Jackson)—thus the players are less likely to be released/traded if th
e team doesn’t do well. The NBA coach is the first to be fired and everyone knows this fact; and 2) The NBA is getting younger and younger—the kids playing in the NBA haven’t been to more than one or two years of college (and some not at all!), which makes it harder for coaches to win games with such inexperienced players. Coaches of veteran teams like the Lakers, Spurs and Magic have an advantage. In Europe, the coach is often paid more than the players and demands the kind of respect that college coaches in America get.
5. Money made in Europe is tax-free, and organizations pay for most your living expenses, including housing and a car. The way it works is the monetary contract you sign with a European club is your net-salary. The club pays taxes, on your behalf, to the country that you play in. The American player then gets credit with the U.S. Government for taxes that were paid (so your money can’t be taxed twice). Players still pay some federal taxes (a small amount) as well as State taxes, according to where they live. The European club will also provide a house/apartment and a car. That leaves only food, gas and cell phone/internet as your expenses. Not a bad gig!
6. NBA plays 82 regular season games in six months, European leagues play 40-60 games over eight months. In Europe, you practice a lot more. Often, you have two practices per day throughout that eight-month season. On average, European teams only play twice a week. In the NBA, you are playing 3-4 (and sometimes 5) times per week, which doesn’t allow a lot of time for team practicing. This might be one of the biggest differences, from a player’s standpoint.
7. Player salaries are significantly higher in the NBA. The average salary of an NBA player is around $4.5 million (pre-tax), and “superstars” make a lot more than that (Kobe and KG make around $18-20 million per year). In Europe, salaries vary between countries, but the best players make around 2-3 million Euros (tax-free)… although there are only a handful of those players. Most are playing for well less than $1 million.
8. Travel/hotel accommodations. In the NBA, every team travels by private plane and stays in the nicest hotels in the U.S. In Europe, teams travel by commercial airline (if a game is far away) or by bus. In Germany and Spain, we’d often take a bus to games that were inside the country.
Casey Jacobsen is a former SLAM High School First Team All-American and NCAA First Team All-American. He currently plays for Brose Baskets in Bamberg, Germany.
LATEST NEWS & RUMORS
View all »
- Video: Duke’s Austin Rivers Drains Buzzer-Beater to Beat UNC
- Video: Jeremy Lin Crosses Up John Wall, Throws it Down
- City of Houston to Host 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend
- Meadowlark Lemon to Make Appearance at Fairfield University
- Griffin, Irving, Rubio Highlight Rookie-Sophomore Game Rosters
- Larry Bird: Kobe Better Teammate for Winning, LeBron More Fun to Play With
- Draftstreet’s Free $250 Fantasy Basketball Challenge is Back
- Kobe on Shaq: ‘No Way We Would Have Lasted 15 Years’
- Study Shows UNC Alumni Have Earned the Most Money in the NBA
- View All »
Thanks.
That could have been summed up in two sentences.
Also, I’ve noticed that European versions of sports tend to make things more like soccer. The style of play of basketball, rugby as opposed to football, etc. Just my take.
I still feel that the Athletic U.S. pool is superior but the gap has reduced greatly – I think the next handful of athletic stars to come out of the surrounding nations will charge on, into the realms of world stars.
European teams would also have to be more disciplined. I saw about a thousand things the Spanish team did that would have gotten them seven technical. Two of them left the bench to protest a traveling violation on Kobe. Total BS.
-no three second rule
-massively varied goal tending rules
-shorter games (dependent less on stamina)
Not to mention time-outs, substitutions, jump balls, shot clock resets, Free throws, christ, the ball can go over the backboard in a FIBA game and still be in play!
People may say, “well, basketball is basketball” but when you’re playing at the highest level of competition, any level of familiarity helps. Trust me, we must adopt FIBA rules and FIBA must adopt all ours. Once we’re even, the US will dominate more.
And there is more discipline WITHIN the framework of the FIBA rules, as played at the eruo-club level – they do get called for their travels and 3 second violations. Post players and fastbreak scorers would have their career point tally’s HALVED if they went back and took away every travel call not made.
LeBron would look a whole lot less dominant.
I certainly don’t argue against the general balance of power being that the NBA is a tougher league and has the highest level of athletisicm, but in the face of playing the game by the actual rules that define the game: European basketball wins handsdown.
Just look at what happened in 2006 world champs
___
Give the NBA’s national team (let alone the entire league) a full season of playing FIBA style in the NBA I think the balance of power would shift to having a more ‘fundamentally sound league’, but i think you would see less, SUPERSTARS throughout…
big time scorers would still score, but they would need to get their footwork right early on or turnovers and ppg stats would plummet. What WOULD be noticable is that the leagues purer shooters would become a whole lot more valuable…
Just to get it right for you … - there is a three seconds rule in Europe as well (same as NBA) - goal tending rules vary in theory, but you rarely see allowed tipaways in actual games - yes, the games are shorter (by eight minutes) but you cannot tell me that well conditioned athletes, timeout management and a solid bench rotation wont take care of that - you forgot the foul rules: FIBA is five fouls youre out, NBA is six … imagine how many NBA players would not see the final quarter of a game due to that - your other arguments (timeouts, freethrows, backboard) are wrong or irrelevant
Also, Lebron travels every time he gets the ball, that would probably slow him down if the referees weren’t afraid of his reputation.
Aren’t their skilled players notorious for grabbing and holding on defense on the wing?
I think Jukai has good points.
If Europeans are so “skilled” and fundamentally sound, why do they suck so horribly in man-to-man defense? Why are they mainly ridiculous floppers? That’s not skilled or fundamentally sound.
It’s a stereotype and just like with most stereotypes, people search for anecdotal information that proves their point.
Yet, in a European leage that puts a premium on “skilled” players, he was given a massive deal. That seems strange to me.
Yeah that’s not one bit stereotypical. Allen I’m amazed that you couldn’t figure out the whole Josh Childress thing yourself. He wasn’t signed for his skill level.
European teams generally incorporate zone defenses because they are do not have the bare-natural athleticism of ‘african american’ world class athletics. You can’t tell me that the NBA is full of superior one-on-one defenders, when every other week my favourite players are constantly dragged down for their ‘lack of defense’ (steve nash anyone???) out of a zone format?!
If anything, a disciplined incorporationg of udnerstanding a zone defense would benefit a whole share of NBA defenders, so there is no winning point to be said for the NBA’s “defensive superiority” or the aargument that Europe “doesn’t play defense”. The fact that you call a defensive play as a “flop” shows that general NBA fans consider taking a charge as not being an appropiate form of defense?! It’s crazy!! If my UNDISCPLINED, matchup has the ball and starts barrelling to the basket I’m going to try and draw a charge also! IT’S A SET RULE, thats well worthy of being utilised, every possession if need be…
…I’ve let the “flop argument” slide for many years, but it’s atrocious to think that this mindset makes someone a bad defender – yet again, it’s american referee’s that don’t want to make a call in favour of the defense.
Okay first of all, a guy with no skills but exceptional athleticism in Tyrus Thomas would still be a star or at least a key player for a team in Europe…
___
A ‘key’ player…? Sure. Any person playing an athletic sport, and being athletic can contribute.
Honestly, I haven’t watch European players in their leagues, so my comment about man-to-man defense was only based on watching them in the NBA. And, consistently, they struggle at man-to-man defense.
People keep bringing up the zone, but all zones incoporate man-to-man defensive principles. YOu’re not just standing around in an area. The biggest difference is that European bigs get to stay in the paint which I guess reduces the penalty when you get beat off the bounce.
Truthfully, some of the European bigs are pretty good on defense, but I have not been impressed with their smaller players, I just really haven’t.
I felt that given the authors personal experience, we would get more than the same warmed over cliches we get from ESPN every day. That was all.
Obviously those rules will never produce better defenders. And FIBA is getting a rectangle lane? That’s another step back. The NBA should be adopting the trapezoid. It’s just more fair.
Comments