Vincent Poirier opens up about his intense rivalry with Barcelona fans, NBA experience, and move to Efes. The French big man explains why he thinks he has zero EuroLeague titles, weighs in on Guerschon Yabusele's NBA comeback, and reflects on his own chances of returning to the top league.
Vincent Poirier was initially listed as questionable before Anadolu EfesIstanbul's EuroLeague Round 24 game against Olympiacos Piraeus with a knee injury.
"We need to win, so I will play through pain," Poirier emphatically declares, sitting in an armchair at the hotel lobby where the Turkish side was staying.
"I've always been that guy. With the atmosphere of such games, you don't feel it anymore," the French big man told BasketNews.
That's far from a surprising statement from a player who has never taken the easy road.
Since his EuroLeague rookie season with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2017, Poirier has built a career on resilience, adaptability, and sacrifice.
As one of Europe's top centers, Poirier has played in France, Spain, the NBA, and now Turkey, embracing new challenges at every turn.
Reflecting on his career, he acknowledges the sacrifices that have shaped him – not just as a player but as a person.
His decisions have taken him from France to the NBA, from Real Madrid to Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and through some of the fiercest rivalries in European basketball.
His move to Efes was about more than basketball.
The 31-year-old knows that his career won't last more than 20 years overall and that he has "six or seven more years, maybe."
"So, I decided to enjoy it as much as I could. I had never lived in Turkey, and I've always wanted to. I was intrigued by the country when I traveled there.
I like the experience. I've lived in France, in the United States, and in Spain. That's a great way to live my life, and I like to experience new things," he points out with exuberance.
Adjusting to Istanbul has been an experience in itself.
"It's an incredibly huge city," Poirier observes. "You can drive for two hours, and the traffic is really hitting hard. But I'm not doing much outside of basketball practice. I'm mostly staying at home," he underlines.
But when asked about the biggest sacrifice he has made, his answer is immediate and deeply personal.
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Giorgos Kyriakidis