The moment Hapoel Tel Aviv announced that Vasilije Micic had officially signed with the club marked a turning point in European basketball history.
The Serbian point guard and former EuroLeague MVP put pen to paper on what is believed to be the most lucrative contract ever signed on the European continent.
Although the numbers are not officially confirmed, reports suggest a deal worth 14 million dollars over three seasons.
That figure narrowly surpasses the contract recently signed by Kendrick Nunn with Panathinaikos. The left-handed star and hero of the green side of Athens also agreed to a three-year deal, but worth 13.5 million dollars.
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Top 10 biggest contracts in EuroLeague history (according to Meridian Sport)
Vasilije Micic– 4.67 million dollars per season
(14 million total / 3 years)
The biggest known annual salary in European basketball history.
Kendrick Nunn – 4.5 million dollars per season
(13.5 million total / 3 years)
A close second, now trailing Micic by a narrow margin.
Josh Childress – 4.5 million dollars per season
The former Olympiacos star had a 2-year, 9 million dollar deal back in the day.
Nikola Mirotic – Approximately 4 million euros per season (net)
While official numbers were never confirmed, reports suggest Barcelona paid between 22 and 26 million euros gross for his multi-year contract after he returned from the NBA. That’s roughly 4 million euros net, or just under 4.4 million dollars, annually.
Dominique Wilkins – 3.5 million dollars per season (1995)
In a completely different economic era, Panathinaikos made waves by signing the NBA legend for what is still one of the most iconic deals in European hoops. Even without accounting for inflation, the number remains staggering.
Sasha Vezenkov – 3.7 million dollars per season
Currently one of the top earners in Olympiacos.
Mike James – Around 3 million dollars per season
One of Monaco’s main stars and consistently among Europe’s highest-paid players.
Kevin Punter – 2.5 million dollars per season
A major figure in Partizan’s rise in recent seasons.
Nikola Milutinov – 7 million dollars over 3 seasons
His new deal puts him at around 2.33 million per year, keeping him near the top tier of earners.
Milos Teodosic – Was offered 4 million euros to stay in CSKA Moscow in 2017, but chose the NBA instead.
“We won’t dive deep into inflation and how much 4.5 million dollars was worth back then compared to now,” according to “Meridian Sport” article, “because that would reshuffle the rankings significantly. Especially when considering contracts like Dominique Wilkins’ from 1995.”
No matter how you slice it, Vasilije Micic now holds the throne when it comes to contract value in European basketball – a fitting reward for one of the continent’s most accomplished floor generals.
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