Latest:
jul 30 2026Panathinaikos has officially announced the signing of French point guard Sylvain Francisco. The Greek club brings in the player from ASVEL Villeurbanne on a three-year contract.
The move is one of the biggest signings of the summer in EuroLeague. Francisco had signed with ASVEL in late June, where he was set to be the centerpiece of the French club's new project. However, financial troubles at Tony Parker's club have completely changed the landscape and opened the door to a trade that Panathinaikos did not let slip away.
The 28-year-old point guard, standing 1.85 meters tall, arrives in Athens after a spectacular season with Zalgiris Kaunas. In the 2025/26 EuroLeague season, he averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 assists and 1 steal across 42 games. He was the second-leading assist provider in the competition, seventh in scoring and fourth in average rating with 19.2 credits.
His season earned him a spot on the EuroLeague All-Star Five and he finished second in the MVP voting, behind only Sasha Vezenkov. He was also named Player of the Month for October and MVP of Matchdays 7 and 29.
For Panathinaikos, his arrival means adding a top-tier point guard with scoring ability, pace-setting skills, ball-handling prowess and recent experience in big games. Francisco does not arrive as a complementary piece, but as an immediate impact player for a team looking to compete for everything under the direction of Željko Obradović.
Additionally, the French guard will find familiar faces in the locker room. In Athens he will reunite with fellow countrymen Mathias Lessort, Guerschon Yabusele and Moustapha Fall, teammates also in the French national team setup.
ASVEL loses the player who was supposed to lead its project before even seeing him debut. Panathinaikos, meanwhile, adds a European star in his prime and once again demonstrates its muscle in the market.
