Evan Fournier Turned Down NBA Team's Offer Because They Were 'Losers'

Evan Fournier spent most of the last couple of years pinned to the bench with the New York Knicks. But when given an offer this summer to return to the NBA with the Washington Wizards, Fournier turned them down as he had no interest in playing for a “losing team.”

Instead, he'll head overseas, playing for Olympiacos in Greece.

Evan Fournier says he turned down an offer from the Wizards because he had no interest in playing for a “losing team” and decided to go overseas instead, per @MaximeAubin1 & @lequipe pic.twitter.com/QcDrpSuwNt
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 4, 2024

According to Maxime Aubin, Fournier said he was offered a 2-year contract by the Wiz, but he wasn’t interested in a “mentoring role” with youngsters, “in a losing team”.

Of course, the ironic part of that is that Fournier has never played in an NBA playoff series in which his team actually won.

It's a two-year, $4M deal for Fournier with the EuroLeague club, and from the scene that greeted Fournier at the airport today upon his arrival in Athens, it looks like he made the right decision, as the French-born player got a wild welcome from his new team's fans.

Evan Fournier's dream of playing for Olympiacos becomes a reality 🤩🔥pic.twitter.com/3BeZ57dzcz
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) September 4, 2024

Olympiacos fans goes WILD as Evan Fournier arrived 🤯pic.twitter.com/XCokrDDPnK
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) September 4, 2024

Fournier is thrilled to be back overseas, saying he wants to “compete” in Europe and “enjoy playing basketball again”.

Overall, in 12 NBA seasons, he averaged 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a 37.4% mark from three-point range.

Turning 32 next month, it remains to be seen if Fournier will ever return to the NBA. Judging from the scenes in Athens, however, it's not a bet we'd be willing to take.