Joffrey Lauvergne has surprised the European basketball public with his new move, signing with Kuwait SC, and spoke exclusively to Basketball Sphere about this unexpected decision.
After spending the last few seasons with Asvel, the French center was ready for a new challenge — one he found in Kuwait, where, according to his own words, he is not planning to finish his career but to keep playing for as long as possible:
“To be completely honest, this is a really interesting project, not only for Kuwait SC but also for the entire region and the country. Dubai started this whole movement, and as it began to take shape, others in the region wanted to follow the same path. Kuwait showed a lot of excitement about bringing me here. I arrived two days ago, and we will see how things go from here. We can talk again in a few months, but it looks very interesting,” said Joffrey Lauvergne.
He also spoke about some of the offers he turned down before deciding to explore a new basketball environment. The names of the clubs that showed interest are no longer a secret:
“Zenit showed interest, but their offer was really, really low — far below what I would accept. Monaco did the same thing, even though I showed a lot of willingness to play for Monaco. I told Misko Raznatovic that I had two wishes — to play for a team that’s good enough and also fights for trophies.
Monaco fit that description, especially since I’m French. The same goes for Partizan — a long story that’s actually short. Vassilis Spanoulis wanted me; he called me at the beginning of July and told me it didn’t matter who was currently on the team or who would come or go, but the club president didn’t want to spend money, and that was the end of it.”
The new team Joffrey Lauvergne joined is part of three different competitions, something the Frenchman explained in more detail:
“Kuwait competes in three leagues — the local league, the Gulf League, and the Asian League. The season runs until the end of May, and I signed a contract until the end of the season. Everything lasts seven or eight months, and my goal is, if I like the lifestyle and basketball here, to stay as long as possible. Honestly, this is the opportunity I wanted and waited for. If for some reason I don’t like it, I’ll return to Europe and see where I can play next…”
Having experienced it all in his career — from the ABA League and EuroLeague, to the NBA and the French national team — this move is a step into the unknown, but without any pressure:
“It’s simple — I’m not here to retire, but because I think basketball here is developing in the right way and very quickly. I want to stay for a few seasons and treat it like every other year since I became a professional. I want to show my best version of myself. For me, this is not a step closer to retirement — I just want to keep playing as long as I can.”
When it comes to comparing the EuroLeague and the NBA, Lauvergne shared an insightful perspective:
“The EuroLeague is a high-quality and very competitive competition. There are two more teams now, and I’m especially happy that Valencia is playing well and back in the EuroLeague. The competition now needs to take an organizational step forward, especially in terms of travel. It’s important to find a way for teams to have private flights. I understand the costs and that it’s a business, but the EuroLeague must continue to grow, and improving travel is the first step — especially for the players.”
“They should find a system similar to NBA trips. For example, why do we come to Belgrade three times, or Athens twice? Why not come to Belgrade once and play Crvena zvezda, Partizan, and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and then go to Athens for games against Panathinaikos and Olympiacos?”
“In Europe, when you fly commercial, it doesn’t matter if the flight lasts one hour or five hours — most of the time is lost getting to the airport, going through passport control, and checking luggage. So it makes no difference whether it’s Athens to Istanbul or something longer. The best thing for players would be to arrive in Istanbul and play two games there to manage the schedule in that way…” explained Joffrey Lauvergne.
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