Sylvain Francisco

Sylvain Francisco (born 10 October 1997) is a French-American professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the French national team in international competition. Francisco holds both French and American citizenship.

Early life and career Sylvain Francisco is of Angolan ethnicity, as his parents are from Angola. They left the country and moved to France, due to the country's civil war. Francisco, who was born in Créteil, France, grew up in the Paris area, along with eight siblings. He played youth club basketball with Paris Basket Racing, Villemomble Sports, and AL Roche-la-Molière.

He then pursued his secondary education in Florida, in the USA, in 2014. He played high school basketball at the Elev8 Sports Institute, in Delray Beach, during the 2014–15 season. He also played high school basketball with Liberty Christian Preparatory School, in Tavares, during the 2015–16 season, and at West Oaks Academy, in Orlando, during the 2016–17 season. After high school, Francisco got some offers to play college basketball from some NCAA Division I programs, but he opted instead to return to France to play professionally.

Professional career Francisco began his pro club career with Levallois Metropolitans in the French men's basketball first division. At the end of the 2017–2018 season, he signed his first professional contract with the Levallois club. However, wanting to join the G-League and eventually the NBA, he did not show up to the club's training the following summer. He finally signed with Paris Basketball in the LNB Pro B in December 2018. After two seasons with Paris Basketball, he returned to the French first division by signing with the Chorale Roanne for the 2020–2021 season.

Baxi Manresa (2021–2022) Francisco left Roanne in June 2021, and signed with the Spanish club Baxi Manresa in Liga Endesa, in August 2021. In the summer of 2022, he participated in the NBA Summer League with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Peristeri (2022–2023) For the 2022–2023 season, Francisco signed with Peristeri of the Greek Basket League. In 31 Greek national domestic league games, he averaged 12.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 turnovers, playing around 28 minutes per contest. He also averaged 16.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, in 9 games played in the European-wide secondary level FIBA Champions League's 2022–2023 season. On 29 June 2023, he parted ways with the Greek club.

FC Bayern Munich (2023–2024) On 20 July 2023, he signed with FC Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and EuroLeague. On 18 February 2024, he won the BBL-Pokal with Bayern following a win in the final over Ratiopharm Ulm. Francisco was named the Final Four MVP.

Žalgiris Kaunas (2024–2026) On 1 July 2024, Francisco signed a two-year (1+1) deal with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague.

On 1 March 2025, he was named a Euroleague Round 27 MVP, sharing the honor with Carlik Jones. He had 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

On 11 March 2025, Francisco signed a contract extension with the team until the 2026–27 season, with a clause allowing him to leave in the summer of 2026 for a buyout.

Francisco helped Žalgiris regain the LKL championship in June, with Žalgiris beating Rytas Vilnius 3–2 in the finals. In the fourth game, Francisco hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating three pointer to help Žalgiris win 84-83 and force the deciding fifth game. He was the LKL Finals MVP.

In October 2025, Francisco was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month after leading Žalgiris to a 6–2 start to the 2025–26 season. He averaged 14.9 points and 6.8 assists while shooting 54.1% on two-pointers and 40.4% from three-point range.

During the 2025–26 EuroLeague season, Francisco averaged 16.7 points and 6.4 assists per game and helped Žalgiris Kaunas finish fifth in the regular season. On 25 February 2026, he notably recorded 23 points and 7 assists in a 99–94 double-overtime win against leader Olympiacos, and scored 10 points in overtime.

On 24 April 2026, he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team for the first time in his career. He finished second in the EuroLeague MVP voting, behind Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos.

On 13 June 2026, Francisco announced that he would be leaving Žalgiris.

Panathinaikos (2026–present) On 30 June 2026, Francisco signed with LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. However, shortly after his arrival, ASVEL encountered financial difficulties after a planned investment partnership failed to provide the guarantees required by the French basketball financial control authority (DNCCG). The club was forced to significantly reduce its projected budget for the 2026–27 season, creating uncertainty regarding several of its summer signings. As a result, Francisco left the club before making an official appearance for ASVEL.

On 30 July 2026, Francisco signed with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague.

National team career Francisco was a member of the junior French national teams. He played with France's junior national team at the 2016 FIBA U20 European Championship. On 24 February 2022, Francisco landed his first selection with the senior French national team, for the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. He also represented France at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket 2025.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

EuroCup

Basketball Champions League

Domestic leagues Year Team League