EXCLUSIVE, JOFFREY LAUVERGNE: I was a dyslexic kid, started reading with Vujošević! Now I study Serbian history!

Self-isolation, at least in Serbia and Turkey, is slowly waning. Things are slowly returning to normal, but basketball is still gone.

That doesn't mean that we can't have a good time talking about it, so we decided to contact the former center of Partizan, Joffrey Lauvergne, with whom we touched on various topics during a very pleasant conversation - from current to some timeless topics.

We talked about Fenerbahce, its future, Dusko Vujosevic and books he gave Partizan basketball players to read, successes, failures, NBA, Euroleague, Leo Westerman, Zeljko Obradovic.

Of course, the order was to start from the current moment, and that is, unfortunately, what the whole world is facing - a coronavirus pandemic.

How did you spend your time during self-isolation? Did you have anyone to hang out with, did you play games, read books? What did you kill the most with?

- During the quarantine, I stayed in Istanbul because I was afraid that the season might continue, so if I went to France I would not be able to return. To tell you the truth, the situation here is under control as far as the coronavirus is concerned, everything is in the shops, there are no problems, I try to use this time to run as much as possible and stay active and in shape. I go for a run every morning, I read a lot, I started wealth management school, so I study, and here is Leo (Westerman prim.aut.), We are in the same building. It's nice to be able to spend time together.

Can you compare life in Istanbul with one In Denver, Chicago and Belgrade? Where would you mostly prefer to live of these 4 city’s?

- Istanbul is a very beautiful city to live in, it is easy for my family to come and visit me because there are a lot of flights in a day, there is everything. You san find everything, but city I prefer to live is Belgrade, I love people there and I always feel at home there.

Can we still count on story we find out, which is: “Joffrey Lauvergne will move to Belgrade at the end of his career"?

- You know how, I am 28 years old now, we will see where my career will take me, but one thing is for sure, as I left Partizan, one thing remained, and that is that I will definitely come at the end of my career! That wish is still there!

In Belgrade there were some rumors that you love nightlife, and that one day everyone from club searched for you, they find you, take you to practice, which you did superbly, and after that you went out again, is that tru and can you tell as more about that?

- About this rumor, it’s completely wrong, I really have never done anything like that, never, never. I have to say, during my career at Partizan, I never missed a training or a game, I played sick and injured, and those rumors are not true!

Vujosevic is known that he gives his players books to read, which one made the biggest impression on you, and how did it affect your basketball and personal development? Do you have any book to suggest to our readers maybe?

- To be honest, when Dule gave me books, I started reading slowly, because I was a dyslexic child. It was not easy for me to read books in the beginning, for example, when I was little I listened to books, there were books in voice format. As a dyslexic child, I had problems with writing french properly because French is hard to write, so I was ashamed of it, and I couldn’t find evry kind of books, but I slowly started reading with Dule, it took me more time to read then somebody else, but with practice, everything get better. This is a very important thing in life because it made to successed.

Can we know what is the thing Joffrey enjoys the most?

- I love reading, and mostly about history, because history helps you understand why some things are happening now. I just read two books about Serbian history; one is about Draža Mihajlović, and the other is about the Battle of Kosovo. I am glad that I read them because now I can see some things from another angle. The things we learned in school are quite different from state to state, and from people who can explain you, there is always different point of view, and somethings are not true, I really enjoyed these books. In addition to books, I like to spend time with family and friends. This is the most important thing in life, to have people around you!

What is the difference if there is any, in the working methods of Dusko Vujosevic and Zeljko Obradovic?

- Well, they are quite similar, although very different , it is not easy for me to answer this question , but what is certain is that they are the greatest coaches ever, one because of all the trophies he won, and the other put all his players on the right track. They both have one thing in common - the love for this sport!

How do you remember Dule’s training, is there a thing you will never forget?

- It was not easy, when I came to Partizan, I realized that it was my life opportunity, I pushed myself to work as best as I could. I have to go back to the question about those rumors, my day was filled with training, sleeping, eating and that was repeating, because I didn't have the energy for anything else. Besides Dulet, I understood that hard work can take you anywhere, and that is the most important thing I learned from him.

Who is stricter in trainings, Dule or Zeljko?

- Same, really similar.

Who had the hardest time with Vujosevic’s spartan methods?

- Like I said, you are very tired after training, but at the same time you enjoy that effort because you are proud of what you did, and that’s special feeling.

Can we found out any anecdotes form training in Partizan, but not the one I already mentioned if that one is true?

- And it is not true, honestly, if it were true, I would never have become the captain of Partizan if I had behaved like that. As for the anecdote, here is one when I practiced ten in a row, which was not easy at all, and it can take a long time. Once I finished shooting just before my evening training, so I decided not to go home, I took something to eat, I went to the locker room, and I literally fell asleep within two minutes, this was one of the funniest stories.

It was forgotten that you got the opportunity only when Gordon went to Italy, so you jumped in. Do you ever think that your career could have gone in a completely different direction if Gordon had not left Partizan?

- No, I don't think if he left that anything would be different. Even if he stayed, I would probably need a little more time to come into my place, I was ready to wait and work until my turn comes.

It was rumored that your career suffered because of your unsportsmanlike lifestyle,nights out, etc.. especially your time in Belgrade. What do you think of all this?

- This is so wrong, this is also a disrespect to Dulet and his work ethic. Do you really think that I would get so many opportunities from him, and even the captain's armband, if anything of this is true, and that I behaved like that ?! This is even a disrespect to me for circulating such stories, when people have high expectations of someone, and during that time I also moved to the NBA, played for the national team, trained. It was all hard, a lot of games, no wonder that I was injured for eight months in a row, I also had personal problems, I had to go to France during the season. It is easiest to make stories like this that I led an unsportsmanlike life, but that is life, People, especially in Serbia, always have to invent some stories, because I am very famous there, they like me, and I understand that they have to make stories. I remember some stories like this one, back in 2015 in Lille, Eurobasket. It was a day off, I was sitting in the car in front of the hotel with Leo's wife who was seven months pregnant. She had black hair then. One guy was about 15 meters away from me, he took pictures of me, which was completely normal for me, especially in front of a hotel where there are several national teams. So, I waved to him, he said, "Hi, Jo. I'm from Serbia. I love you so much." I thanked him, and everything happened two days before the next match. Two days later, I don't remember if it was before the finals or the semifinals, I read the Serbian newspaper and see the headline: "Joffrey is out with the blond starlet at three in the morning before the game." I didn't say anything after that, I didn't even try to refute the allegations. Of course, many things in Serbia are wonderful to me. For example, the way people support basketball players. I think it’s impossible to enjoy something without the downsides. That is life.

What happened after you went to Fenerbahçe, It seems that everyone expected more from you?

- I already told you, I had personal problem, I was also injured, this is all life, I want to move forward. Fenerbahçe is playing season of oblivion if I can say like that, but in its lastest parts you still managed to do a good job and be in a place that provides the advantage of the home field in the play-offs.

Do you think Fener can reach the title again, even though this year will be harder than ever?

- The season was very complicated, we started very badly, but somehow we managed to reach the playoffs. It's not over yet, so we'll see what happens in the end.

Are you talking with Željko about your leaving from Fenerbahçe? Are these just media speculation or is there some truth?

- No, we didn't talk about the next season, as you know, Zeljko is not under contract next year. He said that there are no offers for next season yet, so we are not talking about it yet, but we are talking to each other. He always checks if we are okay, he is in Serbia, and I am here in Istanbul. It is difficult to say anything at this moment.

You played in Denver, at one season you meet with Jokie, did you see then what he would become?

- Nikola, when he first came, I don't think anyone expected him to play the way he played, the first year was his transit. The people from Denver said that he was training that first year, getting his body in order, and that they would see how he could play next season, and at the end of that first season, he was already the best player on the team, which is amazing. I didn't expect him to be so great, I knew he was a good player, it's not easy to transform a player from Europe into an NBA player so quickly, I don't think anyone expected him to be the best player in his position.

How was for you fighting for a place in the team with someone against whom you played in ABA League? How different is current Denver from the one you played in?

- At that time, we had Farid, Hickson, Galois, other good basketball players, and there were three big guys from Europe - Nikola, Jusuf Nurkić and me. It was a transition for Denver itself. The franchise has started rebuilding the team. It was a completely different team than now. That was the time when Farid was the best player. Denver tried to "trade" them into other teams. It wasn’t exactly the best possible moment for me in Denver, but it was a good start. The coach, who is still there now, Mike Malone, has brought a good work ethic among the players, some new routines. My first season there was sometimes good, sometimes bad, but I really enjoyed the second more.

What you think, will Karnišovas manage to rise Chicago from the ashes like he did in Denver?

- He is a very good person, we respect each other, and I wish him all the best in Chicago. It is not easy, because the expectations are high, but I hope for the best!

What do you think about coach Andrea Trinchieri and Partizan’s participation in this year’s Eurocup?

- They are doing a phenomenal job this season, congratulations on them, it is a pleasure to watch them, now it is difficult to say how everything will end because of the epidemic, but I wish them all the best!

I’m not gonna ask you if you will return to Partizan, but WHEN will you return?

- I don't know when, but it will happen! After Partizan, I had 3 wishes, one was to play for the national team, I succeeded, I have to mention two bronze medals, 1 gold and the Olympic Games on what im very proud, the other was to play in the NBA, I aslo did it , there was one left, so he decided to come in Fener even though he had a contract for another year in the NBA - and that is winning the Euroleague. That's why I came to Fener, I believed that I could fulfill that wish here, at the moment we may not be in the best position, but the wish is there, I still have the dream to win EL.

During this season there was an opportunity to join Partizan, which didn’t happened, at the end of this season your contract with Fenerbahçe expires. What is your priority, to extend contract, to go maybe in a different team in EuroLeague, returning to NBA, or finally coming back to Partizan

- I told you, my dream is to win the Euroleague, thta’s why I returned to Europe, but we'll see, all options are in the game, it's not impossible to return to the NBA, I enjoyed playing there. At the end of the day, nothing is safe at the moment due to the coronavirus. We will see what will happen, but the most important thing is to continue playing, to be healthy, I hope that the season will continue, and if not, then I can't wait for the next one.

Does that Nolan Smith bucket still hurt, and have you ever felt being defeated like that, do you still remember that painful moment in the Arena, when you could basically hear a fly flying even there was 20,000 Grobara?

- Yeah, it still hurts!!! I felt really bad after that, of course because of this losing, I love to win, we made good season, there were many reasons to be disappointed after this defeat. After this I didn't leave the room for 10 days, I felt very bad. A lot of things happened and I knew that I would leave Partizan, but it was not easy for me because I knew that I was leaving them, and I was like, I took a lot of Partizan and Im going to leave them and that they would not be in the same position as when I was there. As you know, I will always be grateful to Partizan and Dule Vujosevic. At that time, my feelings were mixed, but I will never forget what Partizan gave me.

Do you have any message to our readers or Partizan fans?

- You know that I love Serbia, especially people. I’m not even mad at those who came up with Leo Westerman's 7 months pregnant wife type of stories (laugh). No problem, see you soon, I want you all to be safe and to beware. See you very soon - promised Lauvergne something we know will remain ringing in the ears of all Partizan sympathizers who read the interview.

Bonus video:

(Emilija Jovanović i Aleksa Radosavljević)