Nanterre

Nanterre 92

	Foundation	1927
	Arena	Palais des sports Maurice-Thorez
	Championships	Betclic ÉLITE
	Coach	Julien Mahé
	Famous players who have played for the club	Victor Wembanyama / Evan Fournier / Mathias Lessort

Joueur à surveiller : Mathis Dossou-Yovo

After winning the 2025 French Championship with Paris Basketball, Mathis Dossou-Yovo is now playing for the other Paris-area team in the Betclic ÉLITE. The husband of Iliana Rupert – a French international and Olympic silver medalist – is reunited with Julien Mahé, the mentor with whom he won the ÉLITE 2 MVP title while playing for Saint-Quentin.

The 2025-2026 season marks Mathis Dossou-Yovo’s first as the leader of a first-division team. It’s a giant leap for the 6-foot-8 center. Known for his physical presence on both ends of the court, the Châteauroux native uses his explosiveness to set effective screens or finish near the basket. A rebounding machine, he also provides a defensive presence off the ball thanks to his exceptional vertical leap.

If Nanterre wants to make the playoffs, Mathis Dossou-Yovo will need to string together MVP-caliber performances.

Playing Style

Last season, Nanterre 92 was one of the teams that took the fewest shots from beyond the arc, while Julien Mahé’s Saint-Quentin dominated the top of that category. Now at the helm of the Paris-area team, the Breton coach aims to restore that inside-outside balance. In particular, he plans to rely on his Dossou-Yovo -Prkacin.

Shared responsibilities on offense, combined with intense and mobile defense. In the style of Iisalo-style basketball, Julien Mahé advocates for heavy pressure on the backcourt with frequent switches. This high intensity is characterized by regular rotations to ensure that the pace is maintained throughout the 40 minutes of play.

Club History

The Jeunesse Sportive des Fontenelles de Nanterre was founded in 1927. However, the JSFN as we know it today traces its origins to a handful of volunteers who decided to take the reins of the club 60 years after its founding. This club from the Paris suburbs rose from the departmental level to Pro B competition in 15 years thanks to 10 consecutive promotions. This meteoric rise was made possible in large part by the Donnadieu father-son duo at the helm of the club.

Having become one of the very best development clubs in the region, Nanterre competed in the promotion playoffs as early as 2005. The Paris-area team continued to rise in strength, eventually finishing second in the regular season and reaching the 2007 French Cup final against the mighty Pau (92-83). The Élan Béarnais, Nanterre’s new nemesis, stopped them the following year, this time in the semifinals. Getting closer and closer to Pro A with its trio of Americans – Daniels, Carter, and Riley – JSFN reached the final four in 2010 before winning the title in 2011. Last season, Nanterre 92 was one of the teams that took the fewest shots from beyond the arc, while Julien Mahé’s Saint-Quentin dominated the top spots in that category. Now at the helm of the Paris-area team, the Breton coach aims to restore that inside-outside balance. Notably by relying on his Dossou-Yovo and Prkacin duo. Shared responsibilities on offense, combined with intense and mobile defense. Just like

Nanterre struggled early on in its first season in the top flight but picked up steam to finish in an impressive 11th place. Clearly plagued by bad luck, the Paris-area team fell just three points short in the 2013 French Cup final (77-74). Having barely qualified for its first Pro A playoffs, JSFN pulled off the unthinkable by eliminating Gravelines Dunkerque – the regular-season leader – Chalon – the reigning French champion – and then Alexis Ajinca’s SIG in the final. Two years after its promotion, Nanterre found itself at the top of the French league! Better yet, despite a disappointing 10th-place finish in the league, the club made its EuroLeague (C1) debut and finally won the 2014 French Cup against Nancy (55-50).

History repeated itself the following year. Despite a strong second-place finish in Pro A, Nanterre was eliminated in the playoffs. But in the Cup, it was a different story. A last-second shot allowed the Nanterre team to lift their first European trophy with a 64-63 victory over Trabzonspor in the 2015 EuroChallenge final (C3). Continuing its strong performance in this competition, the now-Nanterre 92 qualified for the semifinals of the 2016 Coupe de France, before finally winning it in 2017. A golden season, capped off in spectacular fashion with the FIBA Europe Cup (C4) title, snatched from right under Chalon’s nose.

This trophy would be the last one won by Nanterre 92. Although the JSFN reached the semifinals of the league, the Coupe de France, and the Leaders Cup between 2018 and 2019, none of these runs resulted in a championship victory. The club entered a transitional phase with the departure of its longtime president, Jean Donnadieu, followed by that of his son, Pascal, after 37 seasons on the Verts’ bench. Following a disappointing 13th-place finish in the Betclic ÉLITE, Da Silva handed the reins to Julien Mahé in the summer of 2025. Perhaps the beginning of a new chapter filled with titles.

awards and honors

	EuroChallenge (C3)	2015
	Coupe d’Europe FIBA (C4)	2017
	French Champion	2013
	French Cup	2014 / 2017

Spotlight : Victor Wembanyama

It was in Nanterre that “The Alien” took his first steps in the professional world. At age 10, Victor Wembanyama joined the Verts’ youth academy, where he spent his entire adolescence. Starting with the U11 team, he won the Mini-Basketball World Championship in Bourbourg, then moved up to the U13 team for the Inter-Committee Tournament, and finally won the French U15 Championship.

Despite interest from FC Barcelona, Victor Wembanyama remained loyal to the club. And at just 15 years old, he played his first minutes with Nanterre 92 against Brescia in the EuroCup (C2). His time with Nanterre 92 came to an end at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season, which saw him named the French league’s top prospect.