It’s official ! Announced by the two co-owners of the Rhone club, the return of Nando de Colo to France is a superb coup for ASVEL. By engaging a size of European basketball, the team of Tony Parker and Nicolas Batum clearly displays its intentions on a continental scale. From now on, we will have to count on Lyon to set the mood in the EuroLeague.
Wow, what a signature! At 35, the French leader definitely does not want to settle down. At the end of his contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahce, Nando de Colo has therefore chosen to join ASVEL. For Tony Parker’s club, the operation is on an almost unprecedented scale. Why ? Well because we are simply talking about the arrival of a Euroleague MVP – regular season AND final four – in 2016. The averages in the competitions are also downright hot: 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists on average in 9 seasons played. When we know the objective of the Lyonnais to become a stronghold of basketball in Europe, the choice seems quite logical. With such a leader who is packing his bags in the area, the whole group will be able to benefit from a significant boost in experience and above all from the talent in bars of a post 1 genius for dribbling and passing… all during the next two seasons.
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LDLC ASVEL is pleased to announce the signing of @NandoDeColo for the next two seasons.
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— LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) June 30, 2022
For Nando, it is also and above all the time to return to France. Trained at the glorious Cholet Basket and MVP of Pro A with the Mauges club in 2008, position 1 was drafted by the Spurs with the 53rd choice of the 2009 Draft and then immediately sent back to Europe in Valence. The boy is very happy and flourishes like a king on the old continent. He will answer the doorbell of Gregg Popovich in 2012 when the latter will call him to expand the Spurs, but the experience will be inconclusive and he will be traded to the Raptors in the winter of 2014. During this time, things are going well. with the France team since Nando was crowned European champion in 2013, a historic title in the history of French basketball. In the NBA, however, things did not improve significantly and despite the boost in morale linked to the arrival in Canada, the man wanted to return to Europe. Toronto’s will to make him stay in America will not have triumphed. This choice will be the right one for NdC, who joins CSKA Moscow – one of the biggest clubs in Europe – to finally show off all his talent in the eyes of the basketball world. Winner of the EuroLeague in 2016, he repeated the feat in 2019 while being the leader of the Russian formation. After two years of contract at Fenerbahce in Turkey, it is therefore a kind of ultimate challenge that Nando offers himself with Lyon. Of course, all French orange ball fans will also be able to go see him play in the Betclic Élite halls, the ultimate treat.
Merci @NandoDeColo for believing in our project. We are entering a new era. In 2013, we won together the first title of European champions in the history of the French team. In 2023, I hope we can win the first Euroleague title in history with ASVEL.
— Tony Parker (@tonyparker) June 30, 2022
There you have it, great news for French basketball. What better way to see Nando de Colo return to the country to represent one of the biggest clubs in France on a European scale? No, frankly, we sign directly. In addition, the signal is good since the man is approaching Paris two years from the Olympics. Yeah, we’re happy here… but the Free Agency is waiting for us, so we’re off.
Source : ldlcasvel.com