After two-long seasons stuck on coach Tom Thibodeau’s bench in New York, Evan Fournier decided he wanted something new in his career. This summer he got the opportunity to serve a major role in France’s silver medal in the Paris Olympics and even averaged 9.8 points per game, and now it seems like he wasn’t willing to return to an NBA bench.
These are part of the reasons why the European player rejected the chance of signing a two-year offer given by the Wizards and instead inked a new contract with EuroLeague giant Olympiacos in Greece.
For Evan it all started in May 2022, when he attended EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade after ending his record-breaking season in New York. The player later revealed that he was amazed by the atmosphere that the Greek fans were creating in the arena, which was the moment he decided he wanted to return to Europe before retiring.
“I want to play competitive basketball. Meaningful games… Going from Detroit to the Olympics gave me life. I want to continue like this.”
Evan Fournier on his reason for joining Olympiacos 👀
(via @Eurohoopsnet)
— Mave Sports Network (@mave_sports007) September 24, 2024
“It’s like every planet has aligned for me to come here,” he told Eurohoops. “Sometimes there’s things you can’t explain. It’s like when you find your wife – you can’t explain. I’ve always looked at Olympiacos like a club that means something to me. I don’t know why.”
The French international admitted that helping his nation earn a silver medal in the Olympics this summer, really opened his eyes to the fact that he’s still at the prime of his career and can contribute immensely to any team. In a way, he felt stuck in Detroit, after a very frustrating campaign with the Pistons.
“Going from Detroit to the Olympics gave me life. I want to continue like this,” he acknowledged, while explaining that he hopes to fit into Olympiacos’ system, and doesn’t mind what kind of offensive role he will be given. .
The veteran also discussed that he wasn’t enjoying basketball anymore in the United States, and even mentioned one of the “dark sides” of the NBA. “I think one of the dark sides of the NBA is when teams are losing on purpose to get the higher Draft picks,” he said this weekend.
The Former Pistons Player Concurs With Slovenian Star Luka Doncic About NBA Being Easier To Score Than Euroleague
The French star echoed the sentiments delivered by Luka Doncic in the past, in which the Slovenian has guaranteed time and time again that the NBA offers more scoring opportunities than the European game. Fournier noted that NBA defenders are better individually, but it doesn’t translate in lesser offensive contests.
“In the NBA, there are better defenders on the ball, players who can chase you faster on the perimeter,” he said at the start of the month, via Eurohoops. He then explained that in Europe there is always a second or third defender ready to contest a shot, once the first defender was beaten.
One of his biggest new rivals, Mathias Lessort, talked about what Evan and other new signings will bring to the league this upcoming season. “It’s a challenge for all of us, and we’ll have to fight for minutes. Cedi Osman is a great player: he can create and shoot, contribute defensively, and, of course, having a player of that caliber is very good for the team,” the Panathinaikos player shared.
“Olympiacos had a great summer in terms of new players and transfer market work. However, we won the EuroLeague and the Greek League last year, and they took it personally,” Lessort kept at it, explaining how the EuroLeague’s competitiveness will grow only with these talented arrivals.
