Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade has officially announced the return of Joffrey Lauvergne, one of the most memorable centers in Belgrade's basketball history over the past decade. The French center returns to a club where he left a deep mark, though he will not be able to participate in the team's final EuroLeague game of the season.
At 34 years old and standing 2.11 meters tall, Lauvergne arrives from Kuwait SC, a team where he was putting together a very solid season before the interruption of competition in Western Asia. In that context, he dominated the boards with clarity (12.9 per game) and also contributed 18.5 points with excellent two-point shooting accuracy, stringing together several double-doubles in the final stretch of his participation.
His connection to Partizan goes far beyond the sporting realm. During his first stint, between 2012 and 2014, he became the club's first foreign captain, an unusual recognition that reflects the impact he had on the organization. In those years he contributed to the conquest of two Serbian leagues and the 2013 ABA League title, while establishing himself as one of the continent's great rebounders.
Trained in France, he made his professional debut with Chalon-sur-Saône before beginning his international journey, which also took him through Valencia Basket and later back to Belgrade, where he made a definitive leap in his career. In fact, in the 2013-14 season he led the EuroLeague in rebounds, one of the standout performances of his trajectory.
Over the years, Lauvergne has accumulated experience in several of Europe's premier basketball venues, wearing the jerseys of Fenerbahçe, Zalgiris Kaunas, and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, in addition to competing in the EuroCup with Khimki. His career also includes a stint in the NBA, where he played for franchises including the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.
On the international stage, he was part of the French national team that won EuroBasket 2013, adding medals from the 2014 World Cup and EuroBasket 2015. Now, he returns to an environment he knows perfectly and where his presence still carries special weight, in a move that combines immediate performance with strong emotional significance for Partizan's fans.