- 5/25/2025
EVAN FOURNIER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW EUROLEAGUE FINAL FOUR MEDIA DAY OLYMPIACOS - for a future pioneer red project = support - GET the offers and projects./service = https://linktr.ee/thinkfamilyvacation #olympiacos #olympiakos
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00:00Going to the Final Four is fun. Winning is better.
00:02We know what we got to do and you know what to say.
00:20Eva, before we talk about the Final Four, how did it feel to win a playoff series?
00:25You only did it professionally with Nontade in 2009 in France's second division.
00:32I mean, it felt good. That was the goal though.
00:35So, you know, I think the whole team is, I'd say, not happy, but you know,
00:40we are excited to move forward, to go to Abu Dhabi, get to play Final Four.
00:45But you know, that was the goal all year long.
00:48Everybody's still focused and we know we have still a lot of work to do.
00:51And two big games ahead of us.
00:54What was your mentality like playing for the playoffs?
00:57Because, you know, it's a whole different season.
00:59It's not the Final Four, it's a series of games.
01:02So, what was your mentality?
01:04The same, to be honest.
01:05Maybe a bit more awareness about what's at stake.
01:08A little bit more pressure, but you know, that usually raises the intensity.
01:12Against a very good opponent, Madrid.
01:14You know, personally, I'm glad we got the opportunity to play two Solak games at home.
01:18The energy was incredible and the fans were amazing.
01:21So, it was fun.
01:26This is your first Final Four.
01:27Yes.
01:28Do you have a reference point?
01:29A Final Four you watched when you were younger, a Final Four you attended, or something like that.
01:34To sum up, what's your relationship with the Final Four?
01:37My first Final Four was in Paris, 2010.
01:40I went to the championship game, Olympiacos versus Barcelona.
01:43And that was my first experience with EuroLeague, and with Final Four, and to this day, it's something that I remember vividly.
02:12Oh, my God.
02:13Did you ever imagine that you would be playing for Olympiacos watching this Final?
02:17Not really, because, I mean, my goal was the NBA.
02:22But since that day, you know, I got closer to Olympiacos.
02:25So, that's how my love for the team started, really.
02:28Oh, you were supporting Olympiacos in that game?
02:30No, I mean, that was my first experience.
02:32So, I wasn't supporting Olympiacos.
02:34It's just I got, you know, my ticket via Nike, and I was in the middle of the fans.
02:40And that's when I discovered, you know, Gate 7 and all that.
02:43And I was really shocked about, you know, how passionate they are about their team and the support.
02:48And since that day, you know, I've taken, you know, their side.
02:53So, yeah.
02:54How does it feel now to be a part of it?
02:55It's a great feeling.
02:56It's a great feeling.
02:57But, I mean, going to the Final Four is fun. Winning is better.
03:01So, you know, we know what we got to do and you know what to say.
03:05Were you able to discuss the club's previous Final Four experiences with your teammates at all?
03:09Yes, for sure.
03:10But, you know, these aren't necessarily great memories.
03:13Clock is running out.
03:14Mitzitz rises.
03:15If it goes, it wins!
03:16Woo!
03:17Basilio Mitzitz to win the semi-final here!
03:21Yui, working against Fal.
03:23Beats him with a dribble.
03:24Pulls up at the elbow.
03:25High-hawking.
03:26Jay is good!
03:27I mean, I'm very close to Moose.
03:28And, you know, for him, it's very painful what happened in those previous Final Four.
03:33So, you know, we try to use it as motivation, as fuel, and hopefully not do the same mistakes again.
03:39Did they give you tips to not be nervous or did they tell you just about how crazy the experience was with the fans and the whole trip?
03:45Because it's a whole different season type of thing.
03:49No.
03:50I mean, I have no experience to know what big games are, so I'm not overly concerned about that.
03:55You dominated the regular season.
03:57What do you see as Olympiakos' greatest strength this season?
04:01The one that will serve you well whatever happens at the Final Four?
04:06Our biggest strength is our team. Each individual. We all have a role to play in winning.
04:11We have a big roster. We have a lot of talent. We have the best coach in EuroLeague.
04:15And that got us where we are today.
04:18Do you see any specific strength when, you know, it comes to basketball on the court that you know that no matter what happens,
04:25you know you're always going to go back to that specific pattern?
04:28I think we have a complete team. I think, I mean, we are big at each position.
04:33We can play defense really well when we want to. And, you know, we have a lot of shooters on the floor.
04:38So, for us it's all about putting 40 minutes together.
04:40Is there a particular approach to games if so much at stake? Like, can we compare it to an Olympic semi-final maybe?
04:49To take, as an example, a relatively recent game in your career? Or would it be a mistake to make it scare?
04:56I have experience with big games, but never EuroLeague, obviously, since it's my first season.
04:59But, you know, at the end of the day winning is winning and usually those games, there is a pattern.
05:08The team that's the most aggressive, the team that's the aggressor that tries to impose their will, that creates momentum, that's usually the team that wins.
05:24Hopefully, that can be us this year.
05:26Do you feel like the nerves are even higher because it's such a huge event and everybody's eyes are going to be looking at you?
05:33I think so. I mean, I think as you get closer to the main goal, which is winning, you know, you get more and more tension out of everything.
05:44But that can help. I mean, that can help you play better.
05:48But also, you know, if you let that get into your head, you can lose your swag, your flow. And that's the tricky part.
05:56Does it get to your head sometimes?
05:58I mean, to some degree, I think everyone has to deal with their own issues with, you know, pressure gains.
06:06But, you know, I think so far in my career, I've done a good job with that.
06:15You shared regular season victories with Monaco. How do you analyze their season?
06:19Very good season. They've made a lot of changes during the season. They changed coach. Coach Benullis now. They added Daniel Tice. Great pickup.
06:33And they kind of changed the way they played a little bit from my point of view. A little less ISO, more team game, sharing the ball a little bit more. They are very, very, very dangerous.
06:45What do you remember about your Olympiacos season so far, both on and off the floor? What will stay with you beyond the end of the season?
06:57For me personally, it's my first day. I mean, as soon as I landed.
07:01I don't know how many people were at the airport, but it was insane. It was insane. It was one of the best moments in my life.
07:09The love that they gave me since day one, it's something truly, truly amazing.
07:25Since that day, I've been trying to, you know, give them something back by, you know, trying to win, make them proud, give them something to cheer on. And hopefully, you know, we can reward them with the championship.
07:35Yeah.
07:36Did that give you an extra motive playing the fans, the people?
07:39Yes, for sure. For sure. Being a part of such a historical club and such an amazing fan base that supports you. I mean, yeah, that's, that's, that's truly something that, that makes me want to play even better and makes me want to win more. For sure.
07:53What is it like to share this adventure with Mustafa Fall? As you said before, you guys are very, very close.
07:59It's good, man. It's good. We've been together for a while now because we started together when we were about 18 at Poitiers in the first division.
08:08Then we've played at the Olympics together. We got a silver medal and now we have a chance to win the EuroLeague. It would be a great story for us.
08:14Did you ever thought that you guys weren't going to be trying to win a trophy, EuroLeague trophy together at some point in your career in Olympiacos?
08:22No. To be honest, no. Especially not when we started. For sure not.
08:27The last Olympiacos EuroLeague title was in 2013.
08:30Olympiacos makes history with its second final board title in a row.
08:36Do you feel any expectation or do people talk to you a lot about it in Pirel?
08:42Of course. Like, especially now, this past week, I mean, every time we, you know, we, we see a fan, they all wish us good luck.
08:51Ask us to bring them the trophy and, and good luck in Abu Dhabi. But, you know, I think, I think you can feel the pressure growing inside the city.
09:00And, you know, I'm sure it's the same for Pana fans. I think everyone in, in Athens and surroundings right now is waiting for, you know, that final four.
09:07Finally, I'd like you to complete the sentence. If Olympiacos win the title on May 25th, it would be?
09:14I don't know. It would be amazing. A dream. It would be, it would be many things. But we have to make it happen.
09:19Thank you very much. Thank you.
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