Also called: Professional Basketball Player
Plays professional basketball in the National Basketball Association.
An NBA player plays 82 regular-season games, often three or four a week, flying between cities. Days include shootaround, film sessions, treatment, and games at night. Off-court time goes to sponsors, media, and recovery.
Estimate based on NBA contract data: the minimum is about $1.2M, the median is about $4-5M, and max contracts top $50M. Only about 450 players are in the league at once.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. Most athletes start as kids and compete through high school and college; no degree is required, though many earn one. Most play at least one year of college or overseas.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Kinesiology, Communications, Business.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). BLS projects 5% growth for all athletes and sports competitors (2024-34), but roster spots in each league are nearly fixed, so competition is extreme.
Low risk for 10 years. AI shapes scouting, shot charts and load management; playing stays human, with only about 450 roster spots.
Classes: Weight training PE, NCAA-approved core courses, Health and nutrition.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.