According to Eka, the principal challenge that Americans face in competing overseas is in living up to the high expectations that foreign clubs have for them. "Depending on their position, Americans are required to be the team's highest scorer, rebounder, assist person, and floor general," Eka said. "In my experience in Switzerland, I was the league's third-leading scorer, top 10 in rebounding, and scored several game-winning buckets. That would be extraordinary in the United States, but on most European squads, it's supposed to be extremely normal. That's one of the biggest problems that young players face." Off the court, Americans - known as "imports" in international basketball terms, have nearly as much responsibility as they do on the court. Players are required to represent their team in the community by attending various charity events and fundraisers and by making guest appearances. "Having a good character and personality is just as important as being a good player," Eka said. "That kind of import player can affect ticket sales and sponsorship revenue." In fact, an American completely unknown to fans in the U.S. can be a celebrity in a foreign country. As Eka points out, fandom is universal, no matter which nation.

"In the top leagues, imports are treated like superstars," Eka said. "In lower leagues, the community embraces import players as well, and they are well known in local areas. There are usually newspapers and local television stations reporting on them. Kids still ask for autographs and want to take pictures with players. "In terms of nightlife, and as I experienced, some players are also granted free access to nightclubs and bars." With the glamourous life also comes the difficulty of living thousands of miles from their native country. Players do their best to bring with them items that remind them of home, but more often than not, those items do not include their loved ones. "It's not that common for players to bring their spouses, girlfriends and children overseas," Eka said. "That usually only occurs when a player is in a higher-level league, where the salary is pretty good in countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and France." The difficulties surrounding shipping personal items overseas compounds the issue of living in a foreign country. Most airlines restrict passengers to 70-pound limits on their luggage. As Eka learned, video games and VHS tapes should not be part of that load, as North American products fail to work in Europe because the continents do not share the same technical standards. Even the inability to access minor creature comforts such as those can lead to homesickness. "I would say about 10-20% of players suffer some form of homesickness," Eka said. "About half of them leave because of it." Most Americans do their best to stick it out as best they can, however. Players often will do whatever is necessary to maintain their previous lifestyles, even if it means befriending players competing for the opposition. "Imports within a country often hang out with one another, especially if the cities they play for are nearby," Eka said. "Most people feel comfortable around those that are like them. Import players from opposing teams may be the only Americans around." Occasionally, Americans become so comfortable in their new home that they become year-round residents, electing to stay overseas rather than return to the United States during the offseason.

"That happens a lot," Eka said. "Most clubs welcome and encourage that because it brings a sense of stability to the player-team relationship. "One important thing to remember, however, is that players usually aren't paid during the offseason, and in most instances are not allowed to work, unless it has been arranged with the property immigration authorities." The offseason is not the only time that a player may not get paid. International clubs, especially those in the smaller leagues, are notorious for not honoring the contracts they sign with foreigners. The repercussions of such actions usually fail to result in any litigation, because imports are not protected by a union, and few are willing to stick around and fight a battle in court. "There have been plenty of horror stories regarding playing in Russia," Eka said. "One player once said that he and his teammate were forced to play while they were not getting paid, nor were they fed properly. Another example was of a player who had two good games. The team wanted to fire him so they wouldn't have to pay him. Instead of asking the player to leave, they changed the locks on his doors and turned off the utilities.
"A similar occurrence happened to a former teammate of mine, who signed a contract in the Balkan region. After he was paid his first month's salary, the team started benching him even though he was the team's second-leading scorer, making up reasons as to why he wasn't playing. This was done to fabricate a reason to release the player and not pay him the rest of his salary. He left soon after and returned to the United States. Eka says that a good agent with knowledge of reputable teams can help avoid such situations. However, playing basketball overseas is an adventure after all, so one must be prepared for it to end at any moment. "The most important thing I tell players," he said, "is to always keep the return leg of their airline ticket and a passport handy."