Twenty Spanish talents cross the Atlantic towards the NCAA
The exodus of players from the Liga Endesa to American universities has ceased to be a trickle and has turned into a structural hemorrhage. Close to twenty names have crossed the Atlantic in recent months, drawn by the economic power of the NIL system and the freedom offered by the transfer portal.
What used to happen every summer in a specific manner has transformed into a massive exodus. The Endesa League and its youth academies are losing talent at an unprecedented rate, with nearly twenty young players choosing American universities as their destination this summer. The phenomenon is affecting half of the league: Real Madrid bids farewell to Gunars Grindvalds and Ilia Frolov heading to UCLA and Arkansas; Barcelona loses Nikola Kusturica, Sayon Keita, and Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje to UCLA, North Carolina, and Duke respectively.
Joventut also suffers the departures of Michael Ruzic and Miguel Allen to LSU and Charlotte. In the last week, the hemorrhage has accelerated with Bassala Bagayoko from Bilbao (Texas Tech), Chiek Diallo from Baskonia (St. Bonaventure), and Lee Aaliya from UCAM Murcia (Ohio State). The list is completed by Dylan Bordón, Juan Fernández, Kostas Kostadinov, Max Gaspà, and Gustav Knudsen, among others. The most notable name is still missing: Izan Almansa, who parted ways with Real Madrid this week, has been linked all summer to Gonzaga, although no university has officially confirmed his arrival.
Money and freedom of movement as catalysts
The explanation for this phenomenon lies in two acronyms and a tool. The acronyms are NIL —a system since 2021 that allows college athletes to earn from their image rights— and recent revenue-sharing agreements have exponentially increased these figures. A player from a major program can now earn between six and seven digits, well above what a youth player or junior would make in Europe.
The tool is the transfer portal, which allows changing universities each year without any penalty, turning the NCAA into an annual free market where top talents can move freely. For a Spanish club, the equation has become impossible to match: they cannot afford to pay those salaries to a nineteen-year-old player, and the training compensations that used to protect youth academies have no legal effect against an American university institution. As a result, the NCAA is now signing players where only the NBA used to.
A phenomenon transcending Spain
The issue is not exclusive to Spain. This summer alone, Virtus has lost Saliou Niang to LSU, Paris lost Mouhamed Faye, Efes lost Brice Dessert also to LSU, Partizan said goodbye to Mikka Muurinen heading to Arkansas, and Zalgiris lost Kajus Mikalauskas and Mantas Rubstavicius. The European market tables are filled with departures bound for American universities. Continental basketball is experiencing a drain of young talent on a continental scale.
However, there is another side to the story that should not be forgotten, as it significantly nuances the drama: the NCAA also gives back. This summer, the Endesa League welcomed back Mario Saint-Supéry to Valencia (from Gonzaga), Max Shulga to Real Madrid (via VCU/Boston), and Lucas Marí also to Valencia (from Vermont). These are players developed in Spanish academies who return more mature, stronger, and with the American showcase on their resumes. The underlying question is not about how much talent leaves but about how much of it comes back and under what conditions.
Tools at the disposal of the ACB
Meanwhile, Spanish clubs have three main levers at their disposal. The first is the right of first refusal, allowing them to reclaim a player when they wish to return, as Real Madrid just did with Eli John Ndiaye and will likely do with Almansa. The second is early professional contract signings with high clauses to tie down emerging talents. The third is an uncomfortable reflection on playing time because the ultimate argument from the NCAA isn't just about money; it's that players get game time there.
Almansa is leaving, among other reasons, because in two seasons in top European leagues, he barely hit the court. Spanish clubs are facing an uncomfortable reality: they cannot compete financially with American universities, but they also don't offer the playing time that young talents seek for their development. The NCAA combines both: money and competitive exposure.
The debate on the future of European basketball
This debate comes amid negotiations between FIBA, EuroLeague, and the NBA on the future of European basketball. If the continent fails to find a way to retain —or repatriate— its generation from eighteen to twenty-one years old, the problem will no longer solely affect academies but also national teams. Losing these players at crucial developmental stages will inevitably impact the future competitiveness of Spanish and European national teams.
The structural drain experienced by the Endesa League is a symptom of a deeper imbalance in the global basketball ecosystem. As long as the NCAA continues to increase its revenues and offer unprecedented opportunities, the appeal of European leagues for young talents will keep decreasing. Spanish clubs, despite their history and prestige, are finding themselves increasingly vulnerable to the attraction of American universities.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Veinte talentos españoles cruzan el Atlántico hacia la NCAA
