Evan Fournier opened up about Moustapha Fall’s emotional Olympiacos departure, his move to Panathinaikos and the rivalry that continues to dominate Greek basketball.
The French guard, who spent the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons with Olympiacos alongside Fall, explained that the move was not easy for his compatriot after five years with the club.
Guerschon Yabusele is officially a Panathinaikos player, just like Isaac Bonga and Moustapha Fall, while Brancou Badio is only awaiting the official announcement. 🟢⏳
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) July 8, 2026
With the addition of a point guard, Zeljko Obradovic could complete a scary lineup made entirely of this… pic.twitter.com/JODcltUuft
Fall struggled with leaving Olympiacos after five years
Moustapha Fall became one of the most notable EuroLeague transactions of the offseason after leaving Olympiacos and joining Panathinaikos on a 2+1 year contract.
Fournier admitted that Fall personally struggled with the decision to leave Olympiacos.
“I had an idea of what was happening. But I want you to know that it was very difficult for him. I had spoken with him and he told me that it took him a week to get used to the idea of the transfer. Even for me, it feels strange to see him now in green. And it should feel that way because he spent five years at Olympiacos.”
“He made a choice for his family. Obviously, it was a financial decision. It is not a choice that I can judge.”
Evan Fournier also explained that Fall’s initial intention was to remain with Olympiacos.
“His goal was to continue, but because we have many big men… Look, there are people who can deal with such a change and others who cannot. I hope everything goes well for Mous.”
Fournier describes Olympiacos – Panathinaikos rivalry
Beyond Fall’s transfer, Fournier also discussed the atmosphere surrounding the rivalry between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, describing it as something that has gone beyond basketball.
Speaking about the incident during the Greek Basket League Finals in 2025, when he made an inappropriate gesture toward Panathinaikos fans, Fournier admitted that he lost control in the heat of the moment.
“My wife was shocked when I made that gesture. She told me she had never seen me like that before. And it is true. To put things into the right context, it is you against 20,000 people insulting you – and that is part of the game. There had been a hard foul on me and I lost control. I wanted to fight someone and I saw the fans in the arena saying ‘Come on!’. Something short-circuited inside me and I did what I did.”
Fournier also compared the situation with another heated incident between players during the season, involving Tyrique Jones and Kendrick Nunn.
“The same thing happened with Tyrique Jones. For me, the responsibility lies with the people in charge of the competition. When two players are like that and are ready to fight, they mean it 90 percent of the time because they are full of adrenaline in that moment.”
“You have to separate them. You need someone to supervise them. You don’t know what can happen if they meet again. And unfortunately, that is what happened.”
Fournier: Greek basketball suffers from this
The French forward believes the intensity of the rivalry has reached a point where Greek basketball is suffering because of it.
“The rivalry is incredible. There is a toxic environment between the two teams and honestly, it is unbelievable. And it is a shame because Greek basketball suffers from this. The Finals are incredible, but they became a legal battle, a fight in courtrooms, pressure on referees, some of whom had their homes vandalized. These games should be a showcase for Greek basketball, but they have turned into complete chaos.”
Evan Fournier also admitted that even he does not fully understand the origins of the rivalry.
“I don’t know how the rivalry started. They hate each other for so long that you don’t really know what the problem is anymore. There is a long history that I don’t know.”
He also pointed toward the role of Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos in shaping the atmosphere around the rivalry.
“But clearly, their owner creates an atmosphere that is not good. Everything is about provocations, insults and that is basically it. The series starts and everyone is excited. The fans come and ask us to win, but it is not about basketball. They want to destroy the other team. It goes beyond basketball.”
