Thomas David Heurtel (; born 10 April 1989) is a French professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Leyma Coruña of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. Standing at , he plays at the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

position.

Professional career

France (2007–2010)

Heurtel rose through the ranks at the French club

Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez Elan Corporation plc was a major drugs firm based in Dublin, Ireland, which had major interests in the United States. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as ELN, the Irish Stock Exchange as ELN.I, and the London Stock Exchange as ELN. ...

, and he played in the senior men's first team of the club for two seasons. In the 2008–09 season, he won the

French League The French League (: "French League for Purge, purging, mutual aid (politics), mutual aid and European integration, European collaboration") was a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist French movement founded by Pier ...

's Rising Star Award. One year later, after the

relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

of Pau-Orthez, he signed with the French club

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

, but he played on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

with French club

Strasbourg IG Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League. The ...

Spain (2010–2014)

In the summer of 2010, Heurtel left France, to join the Spanish League club Meridiano Alicante. In 2011, Heurtel signed with Spanish club Baskonia, and with them he debuted in the top-tier level European-wide league, the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

Turkey (2014–2017)

On 27 December 2014, just before the start of the Top 16 stage of the 2014–15 Euroleague season,

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

bought him to Baskonia and Heurtel signed a contract until June 2017 with Turkish club

, of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

(BSL). With Efes, Heurtel needed just two months to win his first club title, as he helped his team to win the

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup () is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası''. Now Ziraat Bankası is ...

title. Additionally, Heurtel was named the Turkish Cup Final MVP. At the beginning of the next season, Heurtel helped Anadolu Efes to beat

Pınar Karşıyaka Pınar is a common feminine Turkish given name A Turkish name consists of an ''ad'' or an ''isim'' (given name; plural ''adlar'' and ''isimler'') and a ''soyadı'' or ''soyisim'' (surname). Turkish names exist in a "full name" format. While th ...

to win the Turkish President´s Cup, his second title with Efes. In the 2016–17 season, Heurtel was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month, for the first time in his career, after averaging 16.7 points and 10.7 assists in the month of February.

Return to Spain (2017–2021)

Basketball match Greece vs France on 02 September 2017 44

On 22 June 2017 Heurtel signed a two-year deal with FC Barcelona Lassa of the

. On 18 February 2018 Heurtel won the

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

with FC Barcelona Lassa and was named MVP of the tournament. On July 5, 2019, Heurtel resigned with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

for two more years, with an option to extend it until the end of the 2021–22 campaign. Heurtel would leave Barcelona surrounded by controversy in 2021, after an incident during the team's trip to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

for a

Euroleague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

game in December 2020. The player was not allowed to travel back to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

with the team and was left at Istanbul airport by the

delegation after it was discovered he was allegedly negotiating with rivals

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

behind the club's back. Heurtel wouldn't play a game again for the rest of his stint at

, training with the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...

Return to France (2021)

On February 24, 2021, Heurtel signed with

ASVEL ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

of the French

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

for the rest of the season.

Second return to Spain (2021–2022)

On July 6, 2021, Heurtel signed a one-year deal with

of the

and the

. He was sidelined in the latter stretch of the season due to disciplinary reasons. On June 29, 2022, Heurtel officially parted ways with the Spanish club.

Zenit Saint Petersburg (2022–2024)

On September 21, 2022, Heurtel signed with

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (, ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Pr ...

. On August 7, 2024, he parted ways with the club.

Shenzhen Leopards (2024)

In September 2024, Heurtel signed to

Shenzhen Leopards The Shenzhen New Century Liebao Club, also known as Shenzhen Marco Polo or Shenzhen Leopards (previously Shenzhen Aviators), are a Chinese professional basketball team which plays in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association ( ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

Básquet Coruña (2025–present)

In January 2025, Heurtel would return to Spain surrounded by controversy again. While initial reports linked him with a return to

, the Catalans would cancel the transfer after the outcry the news generated among fans. On January 3, Heurtel had already landed in

Barcelona airport Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within cit ...

with his family, attending journalists and expressing his wishes to reconcile with Barcelona fans, when news broke that the transfer was cancelled. Heurtel would later hold a press conference with his agent, in which he expressed he felt "disrespected and deceived" by the

board. Heurtel would later end up signing with Leyma Coruña of the

, where he was announced as a new player on January 10, 2025.

National team career

Heurtel played with the French under-20 national team at the

2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the eleventh edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The city of Riga, in Latvia, hosted the tournament. Serbia won their second title. Bulgaria and Georgia were relegated to Division B. ...

, and at the

2009 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2009 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the 12th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The cities of Rhodes (city), Rhodes and Ialysos, in Greece, hosted the tournament. Greece national basketball team, Greece won their second ...

, where he won a silver medal. He has also been a member of the senior men's

French national basketball team The France men's national basketball team () represents France in international basketball and is administered by the French Federation of Basketball. France is currently ranked fourth in the FIBA Men's World Ranking, FIBA World Ranking. Franc ...

. With France, he played at the

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France men's national basketball ...

, where he won a gold medal, at the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from 30 August to 14 September 2014. Hosted by Spain, it was the la ...

, where he won a bronze medal, and at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. After Heurtel broke his agreement not to play for any Russian or Belarusian team in order to represent France at EuroBasket 2022—by joining a Russian team in 2022—in November 2022 French basketball federation president Jean-Pierre Siutat said: "he will no longer be there (in the France national team). It’s over."

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3", Baskonia , 10 , , 4 , , 11.4 , , .389 , , .235 , , .500 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , 28 , , 20 , , 20.4 , , .484 , , .437 , , .690 , , 2.1 , , 4.5 , , .7 , , , , 7.2 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 21 , , 19 , , 25.8 , , .429 , , .235 , , .786 , , 2.1 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , , , 8.0 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , 10 , , 6 , , 28.3 , , .532 , , .563 , , .786 , , 2.8 , , 6.7 , , .9 , , , , 12.2 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 9 , , 24.0 , , .418 , , .393 , , .826 , , 2.4 , , 6.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.4 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

, 24 , , 15 , , 27.4 , , .498 , , .427 , , .803 , , 2.9 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 7.9* , , .8 , , , , 12.7 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 35 , , 6 , , 26.3 , , .456 , , .337 , , .867 , , 1.7 , , 5.6 , , .8 , , , , 12.7 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4",

, 30 , , 22 , , 23.6 , , .500 , , .348 , , .814 , , 2.4 , , 6.4 , , .7 , , , , 11.3 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 35 , , 19 , , 21.1 , , .477 , , .450 , , .753 , , 1.9 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , , , 10.4 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , 3 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .385 , , .400 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 4.7 , , .3 , , , , 5.3 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , 12 , , 0 , , 13.5 , , .289 , , .211 , , .833 , , 1.2 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , , , 2.9 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 14 , , 19.3 , , .421 , , .400 , , .857 , , 2.4 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , , , 9.0 , , 9.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 253 , , 134 , , 22.5 , , .461 , , .382 , , .805 , , 2.1 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , 9.6 , , 11.1