Asvel have decided to keep one of the most experienced members of their roster, with David Lighty agreeing to a one-year contract extension with the French club.
The 38-year-old American wing, who holds French citizenship and has spent much of his professional career in Villeurbanne, will remain with Asvel for another season as the club continues to reshape its roster following a turbulent offseason.
Lighty primarily plays at shooting guard and small forward and has been an important part of Asvel’s modern history, combining experience with a strong connection to the club.
Lighty enters another season in Villeurbanne
Lighty’s relationship with Asvel dates back almost a decade.
He initially joined the club in 2014 and remained there until 2016 before spending the 2016-17 season in Italy with Sassari and Trento.
The veteran then returned to Villeurbanne in 2017 and has remained with Asvel ever since, making him one of the longest-serving players in the club’s recent history.
His numbers have naturally declined compared with earlier stages of his career, but Lighty continues to provide valuable experience and depth on the wing.
During the previous EuroLeague campaign, he appeared in 33 games, averaging 4.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
His production was similar in the LNB Pro A, where he played 20 games and recorded 5.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest.
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Four French league titles with Asvel
Lighty’s importance to Asvel extends well beyond his individual statistics.
During his time with the club, he has been part of several successful teams and has collected a significant number of trophies.
He has won the LNB Pro A title four times, in 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Lighty has also lifted the French Cup twice, in 2019 and 2021, while he won the French Super Cup in 2016.
His long association with Asvel has therefore made him one of the recognizable veterans of the club’s recent era.
At 38, his role is likely to be different from earlier in his career, but his experience could prove particularly useful for a roster that has undergone major changes.
Asvel forced to rebuild after financial setbacks
Lighty’s extension comes at the end of an offseason that has been far more complicated for Asvel than initially expected.
The club entered the summer with ambitious plans and brought in several established players, including Sylvain Francisco, Nick Weiler-Babb, Armoni Brooks and Daniel Theis.
However, Asvel were subsequently forced to reconsider their plans after failing to secure the financial resources they had originally expected.
That resulted in several major changes before the new season had even started.
Francisco eventually joined Panathinaikos, while Theis moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Neither player appeared in an official game for Asvel.
Weiler-Babb was sent on loan to Crvena Zvezda, while Brooks continued his career with Valencia.
The departures left Asvel with a significantly different roster from the one the club had initially planned to build.
Asvel continue adding experience
Despite the financial difficulties, Asvel have remained active and have continued to assemble a new-look squad.
The club have added Joel Bolomboy from Crvena Zvezda, Myles Cale from Barcelona, Both Gach from Bourg, Yves Pons from Andorra and Patty Mills from Tenerife.
They have also brought in Nate Sestina from Milano and Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada from Nancy.
The arrival of Jae Crowder has added another highly experienced name to the roster, while Lighty’s extension ensures that Asvel will also retain a player who knows the club and its environment better than almost anyone else on the team.
That combination could be particularly important for a group that will need to develop chemistry quickly after so many changes.
Tony Parker begins new era on the bench
Asvel will also enter the new season with a major change in leadership.
Tony Parker, who is also the club’s owner, will take over as head coach and assume direct responsibility for the team on the court.
Parker will therefore have to guide a roster that looks considerably different from the one Asvel initially expected to have.
Keeping Lighty could provide the new coach with an experienced presence who understands the club’s culture, while also offering leadership to a group containing several new faces.
For Lighty, meanwhile, the extension means another season in the place where he has spent the majority of his professional career.
After returning to Villeurbanne in 2017, he will now continue his long Asvel story into another campaign, with the veteran set to remain part of the club’s new-look project at the age of 38.
