Dominican guard Jean Montero was one of the most sought-after players on the EuroLeague market at the end of last season, ultimately deciding to sign for Olympiacos – now revealing that he turned down an offer of $10 million per year.
Jean Montero played a masterful season for Valencia, reaching the EuroLeague Final Four and winning Liga Endesa, captivating everyone with his performances under coach Pedro Martinez.
There were rumors of offers from the NCAA and almost all leading European clubs, but it didn’t take long for the 23-year-old to make a decision on where to continue his career.
“It didn’t make sense”
“I had an offer of 10 million a year, apartment and everything. A blank check, basically,” he said in an interview with Marega Deportes, and then answered why he did it:
“Because it didn’t make sense. Like I’m telling you, it’s not just about the finances.”
He then explained his philosophy surrounding his career choices:
“Money is important, I don’t play for free. But it’s not the first thing I consider in a proposal. There are other things that matter more to me.”
Olympiacos made the most sense
Jean Montero then added that Olympiacos’s offer was the lowest of all, but that it made the most sense for his career – which makes sense, given he will have the chance to climb to the top of Europe with one of the best-structured clubs.
“Olympiacos was the team that gave me the least but in terms of my career it made the most sense. The things I count on are the coach, the organization and how much they take care of their players.”
One of the reasons behind his decision was the Piraeus club’s head coach, Georgios Bartzokas, whom the Dominican guard holds in very high regard.
“I know he is one of the top coaches in Europe. I have spoken to him and I understood from the first moment what he asks of his players. I liked that a lot. He is clear, honest and wants everyone to work every day. Of course it played a role in my decision. When a coach shows such great interest in you and explains exactly how he sees you in the team, you feel trust. That was very important for me,” Jean Montero concluded.
Montero is now preparing for his first season with the Red-and-Whites, where he is expected to be one of the main offensive focal points in Olympiacos’s pursuit of back-to-back EuroLeague and Greek League titles.
