At 37 years old, Thomas Heurtel is making his first Basketball Champions League appearance. AEK officially announced the signing of the French point guard on Thursday, who arrives from ASVEL Villeurbanne and will play under head coach Dragan Sakota.
A career that passed through Spain
For Spanish basketball fans, the name needs no introduction. Heurtel played for FC Barcelona between 2016 and 2020, and also for Baskonia, and is part of a generation of French point guards that defined the EuroLeague for a decade. Between 2011 and 2021 he competed continuously in Europe's top competition.
Last season he returned to ASVEL, where he averaged 9.2 points and 5.4 assists per game.
What he finds in Athens
A notably deep roster. Alongside Heurtel, Sakota has Frank Bartley IV, Charis Bilionis, Greg Brown III, Vassilis Chartonas, KeyShawn Feazell, Dimitris Flionis, Stavros Gymnopoulos, Nelly Joseph Jr., Dimitris Katsivelis, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Lukas Lekavicius, Landers Nolley II, DeAndre Pinckney, Gaios Skordilis, Giorgos Tsalmpouris and Derrick Williams.
AEK will compete in Group C, alongside Falco Szombathely, Windrose Giants Antwerp and a team from the qualifying round.