{"id":181561,"date":"2026-03-14T11:43:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T15:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=181561"},"modified":"2026-03-14T11:43:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T15:43:05","slug":"euroleague-sylvain-francisco-nba-jump-3-team-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/03\/14\/euroleague-sylvain-francisco-nba-jump-3-team-options\/","title":{"rendered":"EuroLeague’s Sylvain Francisco Eyes NBA Jump, 3 Team Options"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though the NBA remains a U.S.-based league whose players primarily hail from one of the country’s 50 states, there’s no question that the rosters are becoming increasingly diverse. This season, “a record 135 international players from a record-tying 43 countries across six continents” were rostered on opening night<\/a>, according to an official league press release. Of those 135 players, 19 of them are natives of France, the Western European nation nestled in between Spain, Germany and Italy.<\/p>\n

EuroLeague’s Sylvain Francisco Eyes Summer NBA Chance<\/h2>\n

This summer, Zalgiris guard Sylvain Francisco<\/a> will attempt to be the 20th Frenchman to cross the Atlantic. A shifty shot-maker averaging 14.9 points and 6.0 assists per game in 2025-26, Francisco’s “goal… is to get an NBA deal this summer,” per Eurohoops reporter Aris Barkas. A popular player abroad, the 28-year-old is currently receiving interest from Barcelona, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, three of the EuroLeague’s most successful squads.<\/p>\n

\n

Despite the strong interest of major EuroLeague clubs about Sylvain Francisco, the goal of the player is to get an NBA deal this summer.<\/p>\n

His contract with Zalgiris includes a manageable buy out clause for this summer.<\/p>\n

More on @Eurohoopsnet<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Aris Barkas (@arbarkas) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n