By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Going for a steal against Baskonia, fate stole him from the court instead. Just after halftime, at the 21st minute, he collapsed in pain. A fractured fibula in his left leg has kept him sidelined ever since.
Rather than leaving on a stretcher, he insisted on walking off.
“I said, ‘No, I can leave on my own.’ I didn’t want to go out on a stretcher. ‘I walked into the arena alone, I’ll leave that way too.’ They helped me up, and once I was on my feet, I left. I told them, ‘I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, just keep playing.’ I just wanted my teammates and everyone in the arena to move forward. There was nothing left to do,” Lessort said for the club’s official app (“CLUB 1908”).
Shortly after his surgery, Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos visited him at home on December 31 and finalized a contract extension until 2028.
“He wanted to get the deal done quickly, to make me feel secure, so I wouldn’t have to worry about my contract while being injured. I was playing well, we were doing great, and then this happened. It was tough to process. Seeing him come so fast and say, ‘Don’t worry, we still want you, nothing changes, you’ll get the contract and the money you deserve’—that was a big move“.
A 29-year-old French center from Martinique, opened up about various aspects of his injury and recovery. Recalling the exact moment his season changed, Lessort described his immediate reaction:
“Some people might think I’m crazy, but that’s just how I react. If I want to cry, I keep it to myself. I don’t want people to see me at my lowest. When it happened, I looked at my leg, saw it wasn’t holding up, and knew right away—my game was over, my season might be over. It was a shock, but I didn’t want to leave on a stretcher.”
Shortly after his injury, a photo surfaced of Lessort with his son in the ambulance. He explained the story behind it:
“I wanted everyone to know I was okay. My son was there too, and I didn’t want him to understand what was happening. He was saying, ‘Dad, I want to watch the game,’ and I was just happy he was with me. He gives me positive energy every day, and I was lucky to have him by my side that day.”
Despite the tough situation, the support from his teammates meant a lot:
“Some came that night, others the next day, some called. But everyone showed up. Our big family was there for me, telling me they’d support me no matter what. At first, it was tough to be around them, seeing them train and play while I couldn’t. It was hard to deal with.”
Returning to see his teammates for the first time after the injury was an emotional moment:
“The first time I visited, I tried not to think about it. But it hit me hard—worse than anything since I was a kid and couldn’t play. Back then, at least I could train and improve. This time, I was completely sidelined. But when I came back, they were all happy to see me, lifting me up with their energy.”
As he works his way back, Lessort acknowledged the difficulty of being away from the game:
“I hope to be back soon, but rehab has been tough. This is the longest I’ve ever been out. I’ve never dealt with anything worse than a two- or three-week injury. Being away from the game I love is incredibly difficult, but my passion hasn’t changed.”
Reflecting on the injury, he shared how it has changed his perspective:
“Maybe this is a lesson. Maybe I needed to understand my body more. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. When you fall, it’s about how you get back up. Now I see things differently—not just as a player, but as a father. I didn’t want my son, my family, or my friends to see me broken. This is bigger than me.”