By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a humorous Eurohoops interview with Nikos Pantelis, Olympiacos guard Evan Fournier delivered a masterclass in handling a satirical, provocative line of questioning with humor, humility, and absolute focus on the upcoming 2026 EuroLeague Final Four Athens, presented by Etihad.
Our host opened by poking fun at Fournier’s long NBA career and teasingly suggested he came to Greece ‘only for the food’. The 33-year-old French wing leaned into the joke, admitting his love for Greek cuisine like feta, gyros, and moussaka, and crowning the trigono as his absolute favorite dessert.
The conversation quickly shifted toward the court and the intense rivalry with Panathinaikos Aktor. When asked if he felt relieved that the Greens failed to clinch a berth to the Final Four, Fournier remained completely unfazed. “Actually, I don’t really care to be honest,” he stated, adding that ‘the game is against Fener. It’s not against Pana’.
Pantelis then tried to stir the pot regarding Fournier’s relationship with Olympiacos head coach Giorgos Bartzokas, jokingly implying a toxic dynamic. Fournier played along with the comedic tone, deadpanning, “I think Barzokas doesn’t like me. I think he hates French people,” before adding with a smile, “It’s all fake. It’s for the cameras.”
Despite repeated attempts to paint him as a frustrated star playing alone or being relegated to a backup role behind Tyler Dorsey, Fournier refused to take the bait. He fiercely defended his teammates and took full accountability for last year’s semifinal struggles. “No, man. We just didn’t have a good game,” he insisted. “I was part of the failure.”
He concluded by emphasizing that team success trumps any personal ego, noting he would happily sit on the bench, ‘if we win, yes, for sure’.