Alright, so you wanna know how much them NBA athletic trainers make, huh? Well, lemme tell ya, it ain’t a simple thing, ya know? It’s like askin’ how much a farmer makes – depends on the farm, the crops, and how hard they work.
First off, it ain’t the same for everyone. I heard tell some of them trainers make as little as $30,000 a year. That ain’t much, not for all the work they do, runnin’ around after them tall basketball fellas. But then, some of the lucky ones, the ones been doin’ it a long time, or the ones with the fancy degrees, they can make a whole lot more. I’m talkin’ maybe $100,000 or even more than that! Can ya believe it? That’s more money than most folks in my town see in a lifetime.
Now, from what I gather, the average, you know, the middle-of-the-road amount, is somewhere around $64,000 a year. That’s what they say, anyway. But that’s just an average. It’s like sayin’ the average egg weighs two ounces – some are bigger, some are smaller.
- Some places say the average is $55,000, just for the regular pay.
- But then they get extra money too, like bonuses and such, maybe another $7,000 a year. That brings it up some.
- And if you work for a big team, like the Lakers, I heard the head trainer might make around $62,000 a year. That’s pretty good money.
It all depends on a bunch of things. Like, how long you been doin’ it. Them fellas that been at it for years, they gonna make more than the young’uns just startin’ out. It’s like anything, the more you know, the more you’re worth. And it matters which team you work for too. Them big, fancy teams, they probably pay better than the smaller ones.
I also heard tell there’s this group, the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association. They been around since 1974, keepin’ them players healthy and strong. They probably have somethin’ to do with how much these trainers get paid too. And don’t forget them head trainers, the fellas in charge. They get the big bucks, or so I hear. One fella, Gary Vitti, he was with the Lakers for a long time, from 1984 to 2016. Bet he made a pretty penny.
So, to sum it all up, if you wanna be an NBA athletic trainer, you ain’t gonna get rich right away. But if you stick with it, learn your stuff, and get a job with a good team, you could do alright for yourself. You could make anywhere from $30,000 to over $100,000 a year. That’s a big difference, I know, but that’s the way it is. Just gotta work hard and hope for the best.
But remember, money ain’t everything. It’s important work, keepin’ them athletes healthy so they can play their best. That’s gotta be worth somethin’ too.
Now, I ain’t no expert, mind you. Just tellin’ you what I heard. But it seems to me like it’s a good job for those who like that kind of thing. Just gotta be prepared to work hard and not expect to get rich overnight.
And one more thing, if you hear someone sayin’ they make $46,000 to $84,000 a year, that’s probably the total package, including the regular pay and any extras. So, don’t go gettin’ your hopes up too high, ya hear?
Tags：NBA, Athletic Trainer, Salary, Earnings, Basketball, Sports Medicine, NBATA
