By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
ABU DHABI– Olympiacos Piraeus and Evan Fournier bid farewell to a disappointing Final Four with a 97 – 93 win over archrival Panathinaikos Athens in the third-place game. A rather insignificant consolation prize for the Reds who entered the season with championship aspirations but failed to win the title in their fourth straight appearance in the tournament.
Fournier spent 17:12 on the floor after playing 35:41 in the semifinal loss to AS Monaco and pouring a season-high 31 points. The French wing opened up to Eurohoops about how he found the motivation to play that awkward match after being unwilling to “move out of bed” in the morning, what triggered his highly emotional reaction and tears after Friday’s defeat , the love he’s been receiving from the Olympiacos faithful and the different offseason he’ll have that may affect his participation in the upcoming 2025 EuroBasket.
– How do you manage to perform well in a game where there’s nothing at stake and win it?
– It’s about pride. And being professional. A lot of people came to see us play despite this game meaning absolutely nothing. We owed it to them and us to play well.
– This is where I was getting at. If you lacked the strength to play in this kind of game, how big was it to enter the arena and hear the crowd. How much fuel does that give you to play this game?
– I ain’t going to lie bro. I woke up this morning. I didn’t want to move out of my bed at all. I just didn’t feel like playing. It’s not like in FIBA [competitions] where you have a bronze medal that you can get home. It’s just nothing. The motivation was very low. But we all know we had a job to do. As soon as we got to the arena, we saw the fans cheering and being behind us. That gives you energy. That gives you adrenaline. Focus. This is why we started the game well. We started being more aggressive. We felt it would be disrespectful to not play hard.
– I’ve seen you in EuroBasket tournaments. In World Cup tournaments, I was in Jakarta where you guys were eliminated after two losses. I’ve seen you after big wins, I’ve seen you after tough eliminating losses. I’ve never seen you as you were after the semifinal loss.
– Yeah. I think the reason why I was so emotional is because all the love I’ve received all year long. Starting from Day 1 at the airport. I was received here like a member of the family. I feel like that love only grew and grew throughout the season. After the semifinal, as I exited the court I kind of looked back. And seeing all the fans just standing, being upset, disappointed and stunned like us, it made me feel really emotional.
And on top of that, you work so hard all season long for one goal. You fall short of it. It’s painful.
– Was that the toughest you felt after a loss, ever in your career?
– It’s up there for sure. The only loss I can really think of that was as painful for me was losing against Spain at home in the 2015 EuroBasket. But again, it’s different. National team is one thing. But with your club, where you spend all year long fighting for something, it’s different. These are the two.
– The season isn’t over for you of course. You guys have the Greek League Finals against Panathinaikos. Big games and you really want to bring a title to the club. But will that loss – the way the EuroLeague season ended – affect your offseason plans? I’m talking about national team play.
– Yeah. It’s the going to change for sure. The furthest I’ve been into the NBA playoffs is first round. Usually I’m on vacation by May 1st. So I have more time to heal, rest up, prepare my body for the next season. I have one month less at least [now]. Its going to be a different summer. The season is not over so I’m not really thinking about that.
– Are you saying that there is a possibility of skipping the EuroBasket in your mind?
– Yeah [there is]. First of all, I’m not thinking about it if I’m being honest because the season is not over. Sometimes I do think about it but I never come up with a straight answer. Because the truth is I’m mentally here. Physically, I’m fighting some things. If I feel better and 100 percent and mentally I’m good, yes I’ll go to the EuroBasket. If I’m not feeling good, then I won’t.
– What is the most heartfelt message you received these days after the semifinal?
– People thanking me. It’s very basic. But when someone thanks you just for being yourself, it’s kind of strange at first if I’m being honest. Again, that’s just showing love to who I am as a person. That’s deeper than the player. Being accepted as a person. It’s so much more deeper than a just a player.