Former NBA Player Evan Fournier Ejected From Game in Greece for NSFW Gesture at Fans

Former NBA player Evan Fournier was ejected from Game 3 of the Greek basketball league finals on Friday after chaos erupted following an obscene gesture he made toward the crowd in Greece.

Fournier, playing for Olympiacos, was in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against Panathinaikos when he made the gesture toward opposing fans.

The fans responded by "throwing an advertising board onto the court," forcing referees to temporarily stop the game, according to BasketNews.

Panathinaikos coach Ergin Ataman and former NBA guard Kendrick Nunn were ejected later in the game, BasketNews reported.

Fournier contributed 15 points in 23:38 prior to his exit. Olympiacos ultimately won 99-88 to gain a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, per BasketNews.

Fournier played for five teams over 12 seasons in the NBA, most recently splitting the 2023-24 season between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.

He joined Olympiacos ahead of the 2024-25 season, where heading into the weekend he had averaged 7.7 points in 15 games of Greek basketball league play and 15.8 points across 32 EuroLeague contests, per Basketball Reference.

His actions on Friday sparked more disagreement in what has already been a contentious final series for the Greek league.

Game 3, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was delayed after altercations in the first two games of the finals that caused the government of Greece to temporarily suspend the series.

According to the Associated Press' Derek Gatopoulos, both Panathinaikos' owner and coach were ejected from the Sunday's Game 2, and the television broadcast showed "showed security guards from both teams coming to blows."

Olympiacos and Panathinaikos each received penalties and fines for team members' actions during the game, per BasketNews.

Gatopoulos reported on Monday that the owners of both teams were asked to meet with Greece's sports minister, but refused the meeting in online posts.

Spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told Gatopoulos the government wanted both teams to provide "explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end," and if not that the championship would be cancelled.

The government ultimately held a meeting before deciding to resume the series, per BasketNews.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, when Fournier and Olympiacos could claim the championship with a third win of the series.