Panathinaikos has signed French guard Sylvain Francisco to a three-year contract paying more than three million euros per season, bringing the player described as the final addition to a star-laden squad that coach Zelimir Obradovic will take into EuroLeague competition.
Francisco, 29, landed in Athens on July 29 after a planned move to Villeurbanne fell through due to financial troubles at the French club. Tony Parker had offered Francisco a deal worth 15 million euros over three years to leave Zalgiris Kaunas for Villeurbanne, but the Lyon club's internal financial difficulties redirected him to Panathinaikos instead.
At 1.85 metres, Francisco does not stand out for his size, but he has built his career by overcoming that perception. He has risen through European basketball on the back of consistent production and demonstrated leadership at every stop along the way.
Peristeri and the Spanoulis years
Francisco first arrived in Greek basketball in September 2022, signing with Peristeri from Spanish club Manresa. Under coach Vassilis Spanoulis, he rapidly became the team's central figure. In European competition that season he averaged 16.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, and led Peristeri to the Basketball Champions League Final Four.
Domestically, he finished the regular season at 11.4 points, three rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, then raised those figures in the playoffs to 15.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
At the time Francisco said Spanoulis was a leader and a legend who pushed and encouraged him without pause. He said he had signed at Peristeri specifically because of Spanoulis, that they were on the same wavelength and shared the same vision, and that he believed learning from him would take his game to a new level.
EuroLeague debut with Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich gave Francisco his first EuroLeague season in 2023-24. The Bavarians handed him a leading role and he became the on-court engine of the team. In the German domestic league he averaged 12.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists across the regular season. His debut EuroLeague numbers were 10.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
He left Munich as a German domestic double champion and was named MVP of the cup final, closing a debut top-level season that confirmed his readiness for more.
Zalgiris Kaunas: two seasons at the summit
The 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns at Zalgiris Kaunas established Francisco among the best guards in European basketball. He became the absolute maestro of the Lithuanian operation and grew into one of the most coveted players at the top end of the EuroLeague market. Playing in a country where basketball holds a status likened to a religion, he averaged between 14 and 16.5 points per game across competitions and consistently produced more than 4.5 assists, at times reaching seven. His contribution to rebounding and overall team function was also a prominent feature of both seasons.
Francisco won the Lithuanian double in each of his two seasons at Zalgiris. In the season just completed he was named to the EuroLeague best five, the most formal recognition yet of his standing among the competition's elite.
France national team
Francisco's club performances have secured him a regular place in the French national team, where he has been a consistent presence in major international competitions in recent years.
The Panathinaikos project
Panathinaikos, seven-time European champions, have assembled a group described as one that all of Europe is waiting to see on the court. Francisco joins a high-priced and star-filled roster under Obradovic as the last piece of that puzzle, arriving, according to the source, at the prime moment of his career. The club's stated target is the European title.
His contract pays more than three million euros per season across three years.
