The confetti had barely settled inside the Peace and Friendship Stadium last Saturday evening, when Evan Fournier reflected on what had become one of the most remarkable chapters of his basketball life.
Olympiacos had just defeated Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to secure a second consecutive Stoiximan GBL championship. It was the club’s third trophy of the season, following triumphs in the Greek Super Cup and, most significantly, the EuroLeague title that had eluded the Reds for years.
For Fournier, 33, the celebrations represented something larger than another championship. They were confirmation that a career once defined by NBA scoring exploits, international medals, and individual accomplishments had discovered a new dimension in Greece.
Two years after arriving in Piraeus amid extraordinary fanfare, the French star now stands at the center of one of the most successful periods in Olympiacos history.
And when asked by SKWEEK how he would remember this season, his answer was simple.
“I think successful is the right word. We won the two major titles. We lost the cup, but that’s the only one we let slip away for this year. Tremendous season.”
It is difficult to argue with that assessment.
Olympiacos captured the EuroLeague crown, reclaimed domestic supremacy, and saw Fournier emerge as both the Final Four MVP and the MVP of the Greek Finals series.
The Frenchman also wrote himself into the history books.
His 114 points across the five-game championship series against Panathinaikos established a new Stoiximan GBL Finals record, surpassing the legendary Roy Tarpley’s mark of 109 points that had stood untouched since 1994.
Game after game, Fournier delivered:
- 20 points in Game 1.
- 15 points in Game 2.
- 28 points in Game 3.
- 29 points in Game 4.
- 22 points in Game 5.
A total of 114. A record more than three decades old was gone.
Yet when discussing the season, Fournier did not point to the statistics. His favorite memory came from somewhere else entirely.
“Winning in OAKA and partying with the fans. It was beyond what I’ve expected and what I thought was possible.”
That answer says plenty about how deeply his relationship with Olympiacos has evolved.
From NBA veteran to Olympiacos icon
When Fournier signed for Olympiacos in the summer of 2024, there were questions everywhere.
Why would a player with twelve NBA seasons behind him leave the US?
Why would someone who had recently worn the jersey of the New York Knicks and represented France at the Olympic Games choose Greece?
The reality was that his NBA story had changed faster than he ever anticipated.
Back in 2022, Fournier had jokingly—or perhaps not so jokingly—tweeted that if he ever returned to Europe, Olympiacos would be his destination.
Si un jour je devais retourner en Europe et que j’avais le choix daller ou je veux, je pense que j’irais a l’Olympiacos. Cest quand meme un sacré club #F4GLORY
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) May 21, 2022
Olympiacos supporters never forgot it. Neither did he.
But even Fournier never imagined it would become reality so soon.
“When I tweeted that in 2022, I was honest. But I honestly didn’t think my career would take this turn so fast,” he told EuroLeague.net some weeks ago. I was coming off a season with the Knicks where I broke a 30-year-old franchise record for most threes. My career in the NBA was doing great, and in one year it went like this,” he said, pointing downwards.
“From starting and breaking records to not playing. I didn’t see it coming that fast.”
The opportunity presented itself in 2024. He embraced it immediately.
“I saw a great opportunity to keep playing at a very high level and take on a new challenge, and I jumped on it. My free agency was during the Olympics, so my mind was elsewhere the whole time. But I took about 10 days, told my wife and my agent this is where I want to go, and that was the direction we went as a family,” he confessed in the same interview.
The move has proven transformational for both sides.
During the 2025-26 EuroLeague campaign, Fournier averaged 11.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 39 appearances, helping Olympiacos navigate another demanding season.
Then came the Final Four.
The Reds dismantled defending champion Fenerbahce in the semifinals before defeating Real Madrid in the championship game.
When the final buzzer sounded, Fournier was the Final Four MVP.
The championship fire he was missing
One of the most revealing moments of the conversation came when Fournier was asked whether Olympiacos had helped him rediscover a side of himself that the NBA never fully allowed him to express.
His answer was immediate.
“Yeah, for sure. Not playing for a championship in the NBA was missing, and rediscovering that fire was perfect.”
For much of his NBA career, Fournier was a highly productive scorer. He averaged nearly 20 points per game during his prime years in Orlando. He played alongside elite talent.
He represented France at major international tournaments. But one thing always remained absent: deep playoff runs and championship contention.
When asked whether this was the best season of his career, he laughed off the suggestion.
“No, of course not, of course not.”
Why not?
“I’m about to turn 34. My best years are behind me. I still have some juice left, but that’s not my best, of course not.”
Instead, he pointed to a different period.
“I think when I was on top of my game was between 2018 and 2021, 2022. Those years I was top, top shape.”
And yes, those were his NBA years.
Still, basketball isn’t always about being physically at your peak. Sometimes it is about finding the right environment, purpose or stage.
Olympiacos gave Fournier all three.
No NBA return
The question inevitably surfaced: Would he return to the NBA if another opportunity appeared?
This time, there was no hesitation.
“No,” he responded firmly.
Why not?
“Because I belong here.”
Those four words may be the most significant statement Fournier has made since arriving in Greece.
Because his connection with Olympiacos has evolved far beyond basketball.
He has embraced the culture, the city of Piraeus, and the fans since he has become one of them.
In a recent interview with L’Equipe, Fournier revealed that he expects to retire after the expiration of his current Olympiacos contract in 2028.
The finish line may be visible now, but before that comes one final mission: winning more and possibly defending the EuroLeague title.
No regrets
For all the affection he now feels toward Greece, Fournier remains proud of what he accomplished across twelve NBA seasons.
The league may not have delivered him the playoff moments he desired, but it gave him a career that most players only dream of.
And he has no interest in rewriting history.
Asked whether he ever imagines how things might have unfolded had he come to Europe earlier, he quickly dismissed the idea.
“No, no. I don’t like hypotheticals. I try to live in the moment. I know it sounds cliche, but that’s how I operate for real.”
Looking back on his NBA years, there is pride rather than frustration.
“I’m extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished,” he declared.
“I think people that don’t really know my NBA career don’t give me credit. But the people that have been with me since day one, they know everything I’ve accomplished in the NBA.”
There is only one thing he wishes had happened.
“Not my regret, but the one thing I wish I could have had was playing in Western Conference Finals or Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals. You know, with the Magic, we were kind of stuck in that first round. But being a key guy is extremely hard in the NBA and that was just what happened for me.
I’m blessed. I gave everything I had. I have no regrets at all.”
Greece will always be part of him
Eventually, Fournier knows where home is. In Paris and France, there’s a life waiting for him after his basketball days are over.
But Greece has carved out its own permanent place.
Asked whether he could imagine Olympiacos and Greece remaining part of his life long after retirement, he paused and reflected.
“No, I mean, I’m French, I live in Paris. This is my home, but, you know, this is now my second season. I have two more, so it’s going to be four.
With two more seasons, Greece is going to be the second place where I’ve spent the most time in my career.
It’s always going to be a part of me.
I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to stay close with Greece.”
For now, the future can wait.
The present belongs to Olympiacos, to a season that brought three trophies, a EuroLeague title, a historic Finals record, and another unforgettable night inside the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
For Evan Fournier, perhaps the most important victory wasn’t the championship itself.
It was finding a place where, after twelve NBA seasons and a lifetime in basketball, he could finally say without hesitation: “I belong here.”
