With Evan Fournier’s return to Europe, it’s the end of an era for the French who have been following his American performances since 2012. But it’s also a page that is truly turning for these 1992-93 generations. To see this, we went back to the Hoop Summit 2011, namely Evan Fournier’s first steps in the United States, which we followed through a documentary: “Evan, le Jour J”.
Looking back at the careers of each of its participants, thirteen years later, we observed a variety of destinies, but above all the implacable law of the passing of time, with Dario Saric who is quite simply the last European player present at the Hoop Summit 2011 to still play in the NBA.
On the American side, Bradley Beal and Anthony Davis are still star players, paid accordingly, but behind them, it is also a desert with players who have long since retired (Kidd-Gilchrist, Cook, Wroten) or more recently (Rivers).
This journey through the corridors of time also allowed us to remember forgotten names, from former NBA champions to former Pro A players… and even Michael Jordan’s son-in-law!
Team USA
Anthony Davis (31 ans, Los Angeles Lakers)
He is clearly the superstar of the lot (and already at the time in a double-double at 16 points and 10 rebounds at the Hoop Summit). The Lakers center is coming off an excellent season with the Lakers, with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. Crowned NBA champion in the “bubble” in 2020, recent double Olympic medalist and selected among the 75 best players in the history of the Major League, he is heading straight for the Hall of Fame. An immense talent on both ends of the court, despite his recurring little ailments.
Bradley Beal (31 ans, Phoenix Suns)
Having missed his match in Portland at the time, with 8 points, 4 rebounds and only 3 assists, he has since made up for it, with an All-Star career in Washington which led him to form this “Big Three” in Phoenix. A “Big Three” however aging like the guard who has chained injuries more than offensive cards in recent seasons (only 143 games played out of 246 possible in the last three).
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (30, retired)
Very big potential on the wing due to his physical dimension and defensive versatility, drafted accordingly in 2nd position of the 2012 draft by Charlotte (ahead of Beal, Lillard and Fournier), MKG is ultimately better known for his crooked shot than for his rather banal NBA career. Retired from the courts since a final anonymous lap with the Mavs, and a last vain attempt with the Knicks in 2020, the former NCAA champion with Kentucky is now dedicated to a cause: the fight against stuttering and speech therapy for all.
Austin Rivers (32, retired)
Having been behind the microphones since 2023, like his father before him, Austin Rivers has completed a career that felt unfinished, without a major trophy in the cupboard or notable individual distinction. But, with eleven years in the Major League, eight of which ended in the playoffs, he has still had a good run, with his explosive and percussive game (but without any real address from afar: 35% in his career).
Quinn Cook (31 ans, Taiwan)
Effective off the bench with 12 points in 16 minutes at the Hoop Summit, he followed up with a great college career at Duke but, undrafted in 2015, after he had just won the NCAA title, he had to make his place the hard way, by going through the D-League. An NBA understudy at the height of his career, and an international freelancer (Russia, China, Puerto Rico and Taiwan), Quinn Cook nonetheless comes away with one of the best records in his class: double NBA champion with the Warriors in 2018 and 2020.
Tony Wroten (31, retired)
Promoted to scorer, capable of triple-doubles, on the Philadelphia side, during the lean years of the Processthe fiery left-hander from Seattle will mainly go to Europe after a serious knee injury, where he will score with Badalone in particular, and Iraklis in Greece most recently, in 2022.
James McAdoo (31 ans, Sun Rock Shibuya)
An athlete recognized early and decorated with the youth teams of Team USA, the son of Bob McAdoo also managed to make the most of his time in the NBA, with two titles, with the Warriors (2015 and 2017) in three real seasons in the Big League, before falling to the G-League, then Europe, and finally Japan, where he has been playing since 2020.
Marquis Teague (31 years old, without a club)
While his brother Jeff managed to reach the stars with an All-Star cape, Marquis barely touched the NBA with four short seasons and a minor role. Since 2016, he has alternated more or less exotic international experiences with returns home, in the G-League in Memphis.
Adonis Thomas (31 ans, Herzilja)
Barely seen at the end of the bench in the NBA, he never really broke through at the highest level. On the other hand, he has a collector’s passport with stints (of only one year each time) all over the world, including a stint in Gravelines among Italy, Poland, Germany and Slovenia.
Rakeem Christmas (32 ans, Puerto Plata)
Selected by the Wolves in the 2015 Draft, then quickly traded to Indiana, Christmas will not last long in the Major League. He has been following the typical globetrotter’s path since 2017, with one of the most exotic paths, it must be admitted, between New Zealand, Uruguay, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. No, where Christmas really stands out is that he is simply the son-in-law of “His Airness”, Michael Jordan, the husband of his daughter Jasmine.
Team World
Dario Saric (30 ans, Denver Nuggets)
Known on the international circuit since the U16s, Dario Saric was expected to be a great player from his debut, so to speak. Unfortunately, slowed down by injuries during his career, including the famous one to his right knee during Game 1 of the 2021 Finals, he will never be an All-Star but he will nevertheless start his eighth season in the NBA. And, after an interesting campaign with 64 appearances and 8 points and 4 rebounds off the bench for the Warriors, the Croatian center should have a great time alongside Nikola Jokic in the Rockies.
Evan Fournier (31 years old, Olympiakos)
Shelved for the past two seasons by Tom Thibodeau in New York, Evan Fournier barely had time to see the light at the end of the tunnel in Detroit. That his NBA adventure had in fact already reached its abrupt end. With a little less than 14 points on average in twelve seasons, the frail French guard who arrived in Denver in 2012 has made his way, a rare European guard to capitalize on his scoring talents. Especially since he has also filled his team’s medal cabinet, a key player in the Collet era. A hint of regret all the same for having seen him so little in the NBA playoffs… softened by the prospect of seeing him in the Euroleague in an even hotter context!
Davis Bertans (31 ans, Dubai)
After eight years in the NBA, but three difficult last years relegated to the role of extra between Dallas, Oklahoma City and Charlotte, Davis Bertans has decided to return to Europe… Well, to the brand new Dubai club that will play in the Adriatic League! A very long-range sniper, he had his moment of glory at the Wizards, with a 2019/20 season averaging 15 points. But his defensive weakness has often reduced him to a lesser role as a firefighter on duty, confined to shooting from afar in emergency situations.
Bismack Biyombo (32 years old, without club)
Author of a rare triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 blocks), the first in history, during the Hoop Summit 2011, Bismack Biyombo had made an impression with his defensive qualities and his athletic potential. Trained in Spain, in Fuenlabrada in particular, he built a great NBA career (twelve seasons all the same, in OKC last year) in a defensive pivot role, collecting a big contract in Orlando after his exploits in Toronto.
Kevin Pangos (31, Naples)
A leading point guard in the Euroleague, with a place in the competition’s top five in 2021, Kevin Pangos will have his chance in the NBA, in Cleveland the following year. But, like many players labeled “European”, the Canadian point guard will only make a short visit there, and then leave. Since his return to Europe in 2022, he has been going downhill after two very mixed experiences in Milan and Valencia…
Raul Neto (32 years old, without club)
Injured in the knee in August 2023 while wearing the Seleçao jersey, Raul Neto was unable to honor his new contract with Fenerbahçe, which then terminated it without warning. A whirling leader drafted in 2013 (in the second round), having played for Utah, Philly, Washington and Cleveland, he had more success than a Pangos in the NBA. But, like the latter, limited by his size and his defense, the Brazilian creator (6 points, 2 assists) will only have had a second (or even third) zone career in the Major League…
Mateusz Ponitka (31st year, Bahcesehir)
An emblematic player of his Polish selection, Mateusz Ponitka is a player referenced on the Euroleague circuit. After a bad spell last season at Partizan, he went to Turkey to get back on his feet this summer. Best known for his international campaigns, including this famous triple-double of 26 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to knock off Luka Doncic’s Slovenia in the quarter-finals of Euro 2022, he only had a brief contact with the NBA, with an anonymous summer league in 2016 with Denver, despite his great performance at the Hoop Summit in 2011 (17 points, 4 rebounds).
Lucas Nogueira (32 years old, retired)
Drafted in 16th position by the Celtics in 2013, Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira lives up to his nickname. The immense Brazilian vine had the ideal morphotype and athletic qualities to shine on American courts. But the baby will never have grown up, expelled from the League after four flavorless years in Toronto. And navigating in the minor leagues since, recently seen in Canada, in Calgary!
Kyle Wiltjer (31, Venice)
The Canadian international who played for Kentucky (where he won the NCAA title in 2012) and Gonzaga was not really destined for the NBA with his old-school interior profile. And that was confirmed with a short season in Houston, after being ignored in the 2016 Draft. On the other hand, with his reliable 3-point shot, he ensured himself a nice little career on the Old Continent, notably with Olympiakos and Malaga, before dropping down the scale thereafter.
Przemek Karnowski (30 years, assistant coach at Arizona)
A 2m16, 129 kilo mountain, Przemek Karnowski appeared on the radars of Gonzaga. In particular, when he led the Bulldogs to their first Final Four in 2017. The NBA train that was offered to him in 2016 will not return in 2017. Too slow for the NBA game, the Polish pivot will return to Europe, where he will only have a fleeting career (3 seasons), weighed down by his repeated injuries.
Ailun Guo (30 years, Liaoning)
A last-minute addition to the 2011 Hoop Summit, Ailun Guo is necessarily more difficult to evaluate, having spent his entire career in the very heterogeneous Chinese league. With his club Lianoning since 2010 (!), he has won four championship titles, has been an eight-time All-Star, even teasing former Bucks player Yi Jianlian for the league MVP title in 2016. An Olympian in London and Rio, he has often struggled and been inconsistent against very high-level defenses.
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