Europe faces talent drain as young basketball stars flee to the US

16-year-old Sofia Vorobei explains why European basketball is suffering from competition with the NCAA

European basketball is at a crossroads. Top Spanish clubs such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are reportedly considering closing their youth academies, thanks to the drain of talent from Europe to the United States.

It’s hardly a surprise. After all, the US is the home of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and what rising basketball star wouldn’t want to be as close as possible to the world’s strongest league?

Young stars are drawn to the US college system, run by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as well as the financial incentives of NIL (name, image, likeness) deals. These allow college players to earn money by using their personal brand via sponsorships, social media promotions, appearances and autograph signings.

Historically, the NCAA was seen as an alternative path for players not immediately ready for the professional game. However, the introduction of NIL deals in 2021 has transformed it into a destination for international talent.

Players can earn a serious income while gaining exposure in the US, which makes the NCAA a more attractive option than even the biggest European clubs. Last year, Great Osobor, a forward who started out playing for a high-school club in England, signed the largest-known NIL deal of around $2m after transferring to Washington.

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The number of international student-athletes competing in NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball has more than doubledsince the 2009–10 season, from 668 to 1,838 in 2024–25. The greatest rise is in women’s basketball, from 262 players to 950. These international players come from Canada, Europe (especially Spain) and Australia.

Take 19-year-old Italian shooting guard Dame Sarr. After developing within FC Barcelona’s system and making his EuroLeague debut, Sarr attended the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit –an annual basketball game showcasing the top US high-school players against a team of international players – but without Barça’s permission. This led to a mutual agreement to part ways.

Sarr has since committed to Duke University in North Carolina, and now has the opportunity to play on the “biggest stage”in college basketball.

Another player that chose NCAA over staying in Europe is Real Madrid’s former combo guard Jan Vide. He was clearly a standout in Spanish basketball, winning MVP honours at the 2023 Next Generation Tournament and among the top scorers at the 2023 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) U19 World Cup. He joined Madrid at the age of 14, but in 2023, aged 18, he moved to the UCLA team in California.

FIBA – the world governing body for basketball – had given more than €20m to national federations in Europe via its Youth Development Fund. The continent’s EuroLeague is constantly aiming to grow, but loses out to the American one every single time.

European clubs invest enormous sums in nurturing young talent, often without a guaranteed return.

The departure of players like Sarr is not only a loss of potential on the court but also a financial setback, as clubs receive no compensation when these players leave for the NCAA. This trend is making clubs question the viability of their youth programmes.

In response to the growing talent drain, FIBA is asking for the implementation of a mandatory Letter of Clearance for international players transferring to the NCAA. This measure aims to treat such moves in a similar way to international transfers between professional clubs. The logic goes something like this: “If we let you take a player, we should be compensated for our development efforts and the loss to our team.”

European basketball clubs are now basically given a choice: get left behind or adapt. Some are willing to roll with the latter, but heavyweights such as Real Madrid or Olympiacos aren’t happy with either option. They want their leagues to grow, to become a powerhouse on their own – not to be merely a pipeline to the USA.

Still, even if they do find a way forward, it’s only fair that clubs get compensated when their players move to the US. After all, developing talent isn’t a charity, it’s an investment.

Written by:

Sofia Vorobei

Culture Section Editor 2026

Vergel, Spain

I’m Sofia Vorobei, with a passion for quality cinema. It all started when I was around eight. While watching one of those Nickelodeon sitcoms, I couldn’t stop thinking about how fun it must be for the actors and how I wished I could be part of something like that. Ever since then, I’ve wanted my life to have something to do with it. I’ve wanted to act, create, write, direct…

In middle school, however, my perception of that changed. I wasn’t eight anymore, and I understood that this path is an uphill battle. It’s demanding, messy, and a bit like a lottery: you either get very lucky and win, or you don’t.

Still, that realisation didn’t push me away from my dream; it was simply a reality check. I began to understand that passion alone isn’t enough — it takes hard work and making the most of every resource available, while continuing to improve without rushing the process. The industry may be unpredictable, but I believe that if you truly put everything into something, it has a way of standing out.

I was born in 2009 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and moved to Vergel, Spain, near Valencia, in 2020.

I joined Harbingers’ Magazine in the summer of 2023 and have since written about the intersections of culture, creativity and society. My work with the magazine led to my appointment as Culture Section Editor in March 2025.

I also serve as Afghanistan Newsroom Editor, roles I continue to hold in 2026, helping shape the magazine’s cultural coverage and coordinate reporting within the newsroom.

I speak Ukrainian, Spanish, English and Russian.

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