As he turns 31 in just over a month, Vincent Poirier still has a thirst for basketball. And while he has shone for three years under the jersey of Real Madrid, one of the most prestigious clubs on the Old Continent, the French pivot has chosen to look elsewhere.
For one simple reason, even though he won everything with the “White House” (a Euroleague champion title, a loss in the final, and two Spanish champion titles), Vincent Poirier just wants to play more.
In any case, this is the main reason that the former NBA center, who played for Boston and Philadelphia between 2019 and 2021, gave to explain his departure to the site. Basketball SphereHe cites in particular the competition with Edy Tavares, who has occupied the role of starting pivot for the last three seasons, and whom Vincent Poirier aspires to find again.
“I needed a new challenge. I felt like I was too far behind Edy (Tavares). I wanted more and I was frustrated with the situation.”
“I needed a new challenge. I felt like I was too far behind Edy (Tavares). I wanted more and I was frustrated with the situation. I thought I deserved more, and that’s why I decided to leave. Now I want to be more important to the team, help us win and have more minutes on the pitch.”he explained, praising Anadalou Efes, a reference team in Europe in recent years.
The former HTV and Paris-Levallois player does not regret having stopped in Madrid in his career. He will remember in particular from his time there having accumulated major titles, and also having been able to play with two of the greatest legends of Spanish basketball, such as Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez.
“It was great. When I came back from the NBA, the goal was to win trophies. I won seven in three years with the club, so it was a good choice. The moment I will remember the most is the Euroleague title after the victory against Olympiakos. Even though I didn't play, the feeling at the end was very strong because of everything that happened during the season.”he confided before discussing the end of the career of the Rodriguez-Fernandez tandem. “We knew it would end like this, so we wanted to enjoy every moment with them. Chacho (Rodriguez) gave me the chance to shine and be productive. It was interesting to learn from them and be by their side. Plus, we had a great season, so it's good that everything happened like this.”.
It is now accompanied by another shock duo, composed of Shane Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois, that Vincent Poirier will shine at the start of the school year, after an injury to his left ankle which deprived him of the 2024 Olympic Games.
