Heurtel reportedly heading to Russia despite agreement with French Federation / News - Basketnews.com

Thomas Heurtel is expected to join Zenit Saint Petersburg, although he signed an agreement due to Russia's military actions in Ukrainian territory.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Despite the position of the French Basketball Federation, Thomas Heurtel's next career stop is likely to be Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia, Be Basket.fr reported.

Thomas Heurtel

Position:PG, SGAge:33Height:188 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:FranceProfileNewsStatistics

BasketNews sources confirmed that Zenit are waiting for Heurtel to join the club.

At the end of June, the 33-year-old Frenchman reached a verbal agreement with Zenit for the 2022-23 campaign, per Be Basket.fr.

However, at the start of preparation for FIBA EuroBasket 2022 (August 1), the French Basketball Federation officially announced that players who represent Russian or Belarussian teams won't be available to represent the country in international tournaments.

"All players selected for the senior men's and women's French teams are invited to sign a sworn statement to participate in international gatherings and competitions. Players and staff members must sign this statement indicating that they are not engaged and will not engage with a Russian or Belarusian club for the duration of the conflict with Ukraine.

If this commitment is not respected, the player or staff member won't meet the selection criteria for the next international competitions, including the 2024 Olympic Games," the announcement reads.

Thomas Heurtel was among French players, who signed the agreement with the Federation. Despite that, he remains in close contact with Zenit and is expected to pen a deal.

Louis LabeyrieandLivio Jean-Charles were forced to miss EuroBasket 2022 due to their valid contracts with the Russian clubs.

Heurtel is coming off a successful European championship where France finished second. He was one of the team's leaders, averaging 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 14.3 EFF.

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.