Panathinaikos and Hapoel Tel Aviv Lead Highest Paid Starting Fives in EuroLeague

As EuroLeague teams finalize their rosters for the 2026/27 season, Serbian site Mozart has calculated the highest-paid starting fives across Europe. Panathinaikos tops the list with an estimated annual salary of 18 million euros for their starting five. Key players include Kendreigh Nunn and Nigel Hayes-Davis, each earning about 4.5 million euros, Gershon Yabusele at 4 million euros, Mathias Lessort at 2.7 million euros, and Isaac Bonga at 2.2 million euros.

Hapoel Tel Aviv ranks second with a starting five salary totaling approximately 16 million euros. Their highest earners are Vasilije Micić with 4.7 million euros, Elijah Bryant at 4.4 million euros, new signing Zach LeDay at 2.4 million euros, Dan Otero at 2.5 million euros, and Antonio Blakeney close to 2 million euros.

Olympiacos holds third place with nearly 13 million euros in combined salaries for their starting lineup. Notable salaries include Sasha Vezankov, the highest-paid player at 3.4 million euros, Evan Fournier at 2.7 million euros, Nikola Milutinov near 2.2 million euros, Cody Miller-McIntyre at about 2.15 million euros, and Tyler Dorsey at 1.7 million euros. Joel Montero, earning an estimated 2 to 3 million euros, was not mentioned in the report.

Following these teams, Real Madrid's starting five salaries total around 10 million euros, while the renewed Fenerbahçe squad is estimated to spend between 8 and 9 million euros on their starting players. Notably, Maccabi Tel Aviv does not appear among the top salary groups in this ranking.

The report highlights the financial investments top EuroLeague teams are making in their star players ahead of the new season, reflecting the competitive nature of European basketball's premier competition.