How to Play Pro Basketball for the Winston-Salem Wolves

The Winston-Salem Wolves are a team that plays in the ECBL, which is considered an exposure league. A professional exposure league is considered professional level in rules, organization and talent level and is designed to allow players to gain exposure for foreign or domestic leagues. Players in exposure leagues are not on salary, but they are considered professional due to the fact that many teams in the league pay for the operation of the team and equipment.

College players with eligibility remaining, and who intend to continue playing college at some point, should not play in exposure leagues as it may remove their amateur status in the US.

How do players earn a roster spot on the Wolves? Often it starts if a player has been scouted in college or at a pro combine by Wolves staff or scouts under contract with the Wolves. Those players may be invited to work out with the team, but that’s not the only way players land a roster spot.

One of the most important aspects of trying to play professional basketball is high quality game film. Even players who have played in college or in non-US professional leagues may struggle to obtain quality footage of their games or even photos of themselves playing professionally. Playing with the Winston-Salem Wolves provides players with game footage and media coverage at no cost to the players, and regardless of whether the player is on the ECBL regular season roster or not. If a player plays in a non-ECBL game (such as a Summer Pro Am), the Wolves will film the game (provided that the organizer of the event allows it) and provide proof that the player was active. With that in mind, here are some of the non-ECBL events that Wolves have participated in or will continue to participate in:

Red Bull 3X
Triad Pro-Am Summer League
Beast League
NBA All-Star Weekend Pro Tournament
Non-ECBL Exhibition

A note about summer leagues: The Wolves have at times put more than one team in a league/tournament in order to develop additional players. In the case of a pro-am event, some teams may be composed of collegiate players or a mix of pro/collegiate players. In this case, eligibility would not be impacted for college players.

Additionally, the Wolves host closed runs at various times for area high level players; players do not have to be affiliated with the team to participate, and veteran pros will often attend the workouts in order to stay in game shape during the offseason or between contracts.

In order to participate, the best method is to send an email to the Wolves front office at contact@wswolves.com, provide your name, any relevant playing information and what you are looking for – as in:

‘I’m a college player looking to play in Pro Am with the Wolves’ or
‘I’m a player looking to try out for the team’

We love to work with area players, so it’s important to clearly communicate your personal goals so we can best know how to assist you.