Alright, so you wanna know how much them fellas who patch up the basketball players make, huh? The ones runnin’ onto the court when someone twists an ankle or somethin’? Well, it ain’t exactly a straightforward answer, y’know. It’s like askin’ how much a farmer makes – depends on how big the farm is and what they’re growin’.
From what I hear, these NBA athletic trainers, they make anywhere from, say, forty-six thousand dollars a year to eighty-four thousand. That’s a big spread, ain’t it? Like the difference between a beat-up old pickup and a fancy new Cadillac. Now, that forty-six thousand, that’s on the low end. Probably for someone just startin’ out, fresh out of school maybe. And that eighty-four thousand, well, that’s for the fellas who been doin’ it a long time, got all the experience.
The average, though, seems to be somewhere around fifty-five thousand to sixty-two thousand dollars a year. Give or take. That’s a decent livin’, I reckon. Better than scratchin’ a livin’ out of the dirt, that’s for sure. But don’t go thinkin’ it’s easy money. These trainers, they work hard. Long hours, travelin’ all over the place with the team. And they gotta know their stuff. It ain’t just about tapin’ ankles, y’know. They gotta know about all sorts of injuries, how to treat ‘em, how to prevent ‘em.
- The young’uns startin’ out, they might only make around thirty-two thousand, maybe a bit more. That’s the bottom line, they say.
- But the fellas who stick with it, the ones who get good at it, they can make upwards of seventy-eight thousand dollars. That’s the top end, seems like.
Now, some teams pay more than others. Just like some farms are more profitable than others. If you work for a big, fancy team like the Lakers, you might make more than if you work for a smaller team. And if you’re the head trainer, well, you’re gonna make more than the assistant trainers. That’s just common sense, ain’t it? The boss always makes more than the workers.
And it ain’t just about the money, y’know. These trainers, they gotta love what they do. They gotta care about them players. It’s like bein’ a mama hen, fussin’ over her chicks, makin’ sure they’re healthy and safe. It’s a real responsibility, makin’ sure them high-falutin’ athletes stay in tip-top shape.
I heard tell there’s even an association for these trainers, the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association. Been around since 1974, they say. Guess they look out for each other, make sure everyone’s gettin’ a fair shake. And there’s fellas like Gary Vitti, been with the Lakers forever, he musta made a pretty penny. Shows you, stick with it, and you can do alright.
So, yeah, that’s the long and short of it. Fifty-five thousand to sixty-two thousand is the average, but it can go higher or lower dependin’ on how long you been doin’ it, who you work for, and how good you are at your job. It ain’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s a decent livin’ for someone who knows their way around a sprained ankle and a pulled hamstring.
And remember, this here is just what I heard, pieced together from different folks talkin’. You wanna know for sure, you gotta go ask them fellas yourself.
Tags：NBA, Athletic Trainer, Salary, Sports Medicine, Basketball, Earnings, Compensation, NBA Trainer Salary
