French center Joffrey Lauvergne returned to Partizan in the latter part of the 2025/26 season, where he will play next season as one of Joan Penarroya’s options at the center.
Joffrey Lauvergne previously played for Partizan between 2012 and 2014 before signing with Khimki, after which he went to the NBA where he spent four years playing for the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.
However, in 2018 he left the NBA and returned to the EuroLeague by signing with Fenerbahce, and he has now expressed regret over being impatient earlier in his career and not staying in the world’s strongest league.
“I think it was a mistake. I had another year left on my NBA contract. Throughout my career and my life, I’ve been very impatient. Maybe it’s because I’m afraid of what the future holds. Who knows what’s going to happen in the NBA? The hardest thing is to get another contract, and I did it.
“I definitely should have stayed there. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life, in basketball and outside of it. I think smart people learn from the past. I’m definitely more patient today than when I was younger. If I could go back and talk to myself, I would tell myself that it would be better if I stayed in the NBA”, Lauvergne told SKWeek.
“False friendship is not Zeljko’s style”
At Fenerbahce, he worked with Zeljko Obradovic, and he recalled their time together under Europe’s most decorated coach, as well as the lessons he learned from him.
“Zeljko has a really different way of doing things. He taught me that you don’t do things for the club or the coach, but for yourself. That’s probably the most important lesson I learned from him. Many coaches try to be relaxed and socialize with the players, but Zeljko doesn’t care much about that.
He does what he thinks is necessary to make the team as successful as possible. He has his own way of working, which you may or may not like, but that’s him. False friendship is not his style.”
“It’s difficult to understand Cedi Osman’s decision”
He also commented on several unexpected transfers this summer, such as Sylvain Francisco joining Panathinaikos after previously becoming an Asvel player, as well as Cedi Osman moving from Panathinaikos to PAOK.
“It’s quite difficult for me to understand. He’s Turkish, and there are three Euroleague clubs in Turkey, while he’s going to Greece and won’t be playing in the Euroleague. However, everyone at some point in their career wants and expects something new. If he made such a decision, I assume he wants to stay in Greece or play for Andrea Trinchieri. He really surprised me.
The transfer of Sylvain Francisco was unexpected. The situation with Moses Wright was crazy, who was supposed to go to Barcelona, and in the end he ended up in Milano. There’s also Olympiacos, who have been playing great for years. There’s Panathinaikos, who are building an incredible team, and there’s Zeljko”, Joffrey Lauvergne concluded.
