After Evan Fournier signed a four-year contract worth $78 million with the New York Knicks last offseason, the microscope on the veteran French professional basketball player magnified. Except for a couple of seasons, he had largely toiled on mediocre NBA teams for most of his career, which made it hard to figure out whether he could play well with the pressure on. To this credit, Fournier has played in many high profile games representing his home country of France in international basketball tournaments.
The money he was making, and the market he was now playing in concentrated attention on the scoring guard. Evan Fournier went through a roller coaster of a first season with the New York Knicks. He was sometimes blamed for their regression in 2021-2022, but often praised from bringing an element that the team lacked previously. It will be interesting to see how the next couple of years unfold for Fournier in the NBA.
Evan Fournier – Pre-NBA Life
Evan Mehdi Fournier was born on October 29, 1992 in Saint-Maurice, France. His parents, Francois Fournier and Meriem Fournier were also athletes, but it was not in a sport anyone would likely guess on the first try. Evan’s parents were both accomplished martial artists, and excelled specifically in judo. Francois had a fantastic career which included him winning medals in some very big international competitions. Young Evan learned some of the moves that his parents had mastered over the years, but he never went through any formal training.
Fournier would eventually become consumed with the game of basketball at time when France started to become a global focal point for talent. It was around the early 2000’s when Tony Parker made his professional debut with the San Antonio Spurs, and would usher in a new era for French players in the NBA. When Parker started his NBA career in 2001-2002, he was only 19 years old, and not considerably older than a young Fournier.
However, while living in France at that time, Fournier and other basketball fans did not have all the options we do today to stay plugged into the game. The future NBA player remembers seeing games every so often on television, and even when they did come on, they started late into the night because of the time difference.
One memory that sticks in Fournier’s mind was tuning into the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. Although he enjoyed seeing European players succeed on the Kings such as Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu, his eye gravitated towards another Sacramento player. Fournier became a huge fan of the fearless way Mike Bibby played in that series, which led him to buy the former point guard’s action figure and jersey. Fast forwarding a decade or two, it is easy to see the influence Bibby had on the young boy, as Fournier operates similarly in dribble-handoff scenarios today.
A few years later, Fournier would get his start playing professional basketball in France. He would get training from the national INSEP academy, which identifies young talented athletes and helps them train as teenagers. JSF Nanterre would be the first team Fournier would play on in a lower level professional league. He would then play a couple of years for Poitiers Basket 86 against increased competition. The team was not very good, and Fournier’s shooting stats were a little erratic, but he showed enough potential as a teenager to warrant a look from the world’s best overseas league.
Evan Fournier – Denver Nuggets
In the summer of 2012, Evan Fournier would end up realizing a childhood dream, as he was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 20th overall pick in that year’s draft. However, veteran head coach George Karl did not utilize Fournier very much as a rookie, because the team had a functioning nucleus from the players they received in the Carmelo Anthony trade with the Knicks. The Nuggets had a marvelous regular season with veteran players, and there wasn’t much time for the French rookie to develop in year one.
After suffering a first round playoff defeat to the Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets decided to clean house, and hired new head coach Brian Shaw. Under the new regime, Fournier got into 76 regular season games, and averaged around 20 minutes per night. So far in his young career, he was shooting an impressive 38 percent from three point distance, but was not fully unleashed just yet.
Evan Fournier – Orlando Magic
It would end up taking a change of scenery for Evan Fournier to start to feel comfortable in the NBA. Denver shipped Fournier to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Arron Afflalo. As a 22 year old, the Frenchman was eager to show he could play in the league, and Orlando was willing to give him an extended opportunity to prove it.
In his five plus seasons in Orlando, Fournier proved he could be a capable NBA scorer. He would have the ball in his hands quite a bit, as the Magic tried to break in several point guards during that time but would never find the answer they were looking for. The Saint-Maurice native was not exactly the type of player that was going to create great shots via isolation, but he was proficient at moving without the ball, and getting into the lane once the defense had been softened up a little bit.
As the accepted style offense changed throughout the duration of Fournier’s career in the NBA, he would also learn to adapt. The preference towards shooting three pointers actually worked in his favor, since he shot around 38 percent from distance during his time with Orlando and Denver anyway. Fournier would end up increasing the number of three pointers he attempted per game in nearly every successive season of his career.
Evan Fournier – Boston Celtics
The Orlando Magic did make a couple of consecutive playoff appears in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, but were not good enough to get out of the first round. Right before the 2021 NBA trade deadline, they decided to reset their team by trading their best players away for younger players and draft capital. Evan Fournier was one of the players who was moved, and found himself with the Boston Celtics for the stretch run.
In a contract year, Fournier was hoping to deliver consistently memorable performances to help his new team advance in the postseason. In the 16 games he would play for Boston, the shooting guard would have a couple of standout scoring games, such as the 30 points he dropped against the Miami Heat late in the season. In the first round of the playoffs, Fournier would have an average series, but did not provide the type of difference-making shooting touch the Celtics were hoping for. Boston lost to the Brooklyn Nets in five games.
Evan Fournier – New York Knicks
With an uncertain future ahead of him, Fournier’s contract was up, and he would head to free agency looking for a big payday. He was going to be an interesting player to evaluate, because he could certainly provide reliable scoring, but the question would always be what the right price to pay for that skill set.
After a disappointing first round playoff series of their own against the Atlanta Hawks, New York was looking to add players who could help stretch the floor. In the playoffs, their offense really bogged down, and the Hawks did not respect who the Knicks had on the perimeter, which really hurt their spacing.
As a result, the Knicks offered Fournier the large contract, and on paper, it seemed like a good fit. New York believed that they retained enough defensive talent from the prior season to remain a force on that end, and Fournier would help fill in a weakness they had.
Unfortunately, it did not exactly work out that way. The chemistry between Julius Randle and Fournier was a continued work in progress, and the latter’s lack of defensive ability would hamper the team. The French shooter did have some huge scoring games, such as in the season opener against the Celtics. In a year where many people thought he did not play that well, Fournier set a Knicks single season record for three pointers made, previously held by John Starks.
Evan Fournier – French National Career
Despite his long and impressive NBA career, Evan Fournier might be most well known for his play with the French national team. Along with other NBA players such as Nicolas Batum, Rudy Gobert and Frank Ntilikina, Fournier has helped pick up the torch passed along by Tony Parker.
Over the years, Fournier has become the leading scorer for the French, while Gobert continues to provide a strong interior presence. In the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and in the 2020 Olympics, Fournier was the team’s leading scorer. In the most recent World Cup, France won the bronze medal.
The 2020 Olympics were an interesting time for the French guard, because it coincided with his time as a free agent. Fournier played very well in Olympic competition, which probably helped his perception after the Knicks signed him. Fournier scored 28 points en route to a surprise France victory against the United States in regular competition. They would play the United States in the gold medal game, but were not able to beat them a second time. Still, a silver medal finish was a notable accomplishment.
Evan Fournier – NBA Future
It will be intriguing to see how Evan Fournier is used in the next few years, and where he finishes his career. He figures to be a viable option as an offensive facilitator, but has his shortcomings defensively. There have been frequent rumors that the Knicks are looking to include the French guard in a trade for a more established All-Star, and we will see if those come to fruition.
How many 3s did Evan Fournier have?
For 10 NBA seasons, guard Evan Fournier has been a reliable scorer for a few different teams. During his career with the Denver Nuggets, the Frenchman connected on 111 three pointers. For the Orlando Magic, who he has spent the majority of his career with, he made 895 shots from long distance.
In his first season with the New York Knicks, Fournier drained 241 three pointers, which was a franchise record. He eclipsed the total made by guard John Starks in the 1994-1995 season. Fournier should continue to have ample opportunity to shoot three pointers with the Knicks in the future, as they need him to space the floor.
Why is Evan Fournier called Never Google?
In this day and age, whenever there is a question, most people will look to Google to find a quick answer to their query. It is a natural mechanism to find information, and works most of the time. It is still a good way to find information about NBA player Evan Fournier, such as his statistics, highlights, and career earnings.
However, he has earned the nickname “Never Google” due to another result that might come up if his surname is searched. Fournier gangrene is an ailment that affects the male genitalia, and could return some images and information that was not intended.
What did Fournier say to KD?
The Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks have not had quite the rivalry some expects when the Nets relocated to the five boroughs from New Jersey. However, some interactions between New York guard Evan Fournier and Brooklyn forward Kevin Durant might help spark some animosity that can create a rivalry.
Fournier and Durant have had some contention over the years, including when Durant took exception to foul Fournier committed on him while he was a member of the Boston Celtics. After making a shot over Fournier this season, Durant told him he was “tres petit”, which in French means too small.
