https://mm3sports.com/articles/NBA and WNBA contracts, college NIL and FIBA rules, explained by McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM.en-us https://mm3sports.com/articles/college-basketball-revenue-sharing/https://mm3sports.com/articles/college-basketball-revenue-sharing/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTSchools that opted in to the House settlement can pay athletes directly, up to about $21.58 million per school for the 2026-27 academic year, across every sport they sponsor. That money is separate from athletic scholarships and from third-party NIL deals, which still exist but must be reported through NIL Go once a deal reaches $600. https://mm3sports.com/articles/nil-taxes-college-athletes/https://mm3sports.com/articles/nil-taxes-college-athletes/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTYes. NIL income is taxable whether or not a tax form ever arrives. Most NIL pay is self-employment income, so an athlete owes federal income tax plus 15.3% self-employment tax, usually through quarterly estimated payments. For payments received in 2026, a brand only has to send a Form 1099-NEC once it pays you $2,000 or more in the year, so many athletes will owe tax on income no form ever reports. https://mm3sports.com/articles/nba-rookie-scale-2026/https://mm3sports.com/articles/nba-rookie-scale-2026/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTFirst-round picks are paid on the rookie scale, which is tied to the 2026-27 salary cap of $164,961,000. The No. 1 pick's four-year deal is worth more than $65 million, starting near $14.7 million in year one, and the No. 30 pick's is worth about $15 million. Second-round picks have no scale; most sign minimum deals, starting at $1,357,763 for a rookie, or two-way contracts. https://mm3sports.com/articles/nba-two-way-contract/https://mm3sports.com/articles/nba-two-way-contract/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTA two-way contract lets a player split the season between an NBA team and its G League affiliate. In 2026-27 it pays $678,882, half the rookie minimum, and the player can be active for up to 50 of the team's 82 regular-season games. Each team can carry three two-way players, and none can play in the postseason unless the team converts him to a standard contract. https://mm3sports.com/articles/wnba-salaries-2026/https://mm3sports.com/articles/wnba-salaries-2026/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTUnder the collective bargaining agreement ratified in March 2026, the minimum WNBA salary is $270,000 to $300,000 depending on years of service, the maximum is $1.4 million, and the league estimates the average at about $583,000. Each team's cap is $7 million for 2026 and, from then on, is tied to a share of league and team revenue. In 2025 the minimum was $66,079. https://mm3sports.com/articles/wnba-rookie-contract-2026/https://mm3sports.com/articles/wnba-rookie-contract-2026/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTThe No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA draft earns $500,000 in her first season, and about $2.2 million over a four-year rookie deal. Every first-round pick earns at least $289,133, and second- and third-round picks earn the league minimum of $270,000. Lottery picks now have their first-year salary fully protected. https://mm3sports.com/articles/fiba-letter-of-clearance/https://mm3sports.com/articles/fiba-letter-of-clearance/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTA letter of clearance is a certificate from FIBA confirming a player is free to transfer internationally and that a new national federation may license her or him to play. The new country's federation requests it through FIBA's system; the federation the player is leaving has six days to respond, and FIBA decides disputes within seven days. The standard fee is CHF 250, with no fee for a player's first registration or for a player coming straight from a U.S. college. https://mm3sports.com/articles/overseas-basketball-contracts/https://mm3sports.com/articles/overseas-basketball-contracts/Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMTMost overseas contracts pay a monthly salary for the season, and many are written as net, meaning the club covers local income tax. Housing, a car and flights home are common extras. FIBA caps agent fees at 10% of the player contract, and most contracts send disputes to the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal in Geneva. Americans still file U.S. taxes, and for 2026 can exclude up to $132,900 of foreign earned income if they qualify.