French guard Nando De Colo has confirmed to BeBasket that he intends to retire at the end of the 2025/26 season, as BasketNews.com relays.
“To be transparent, this will be my last season,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Since the beginning of the season, I’ve had it in the back of my mind that this was going to be my last season.”
De Colo, who is currently playing for Fenerbahce in Turkey, is one of the most accomplished guards in EuroLeague history, winning titles in 2016 with CSKA Moscow and in 2019 with Fenerbahce. He was also named league MVP in 2016 and earned a spot on the EuroLeague’s All-Decade team for the 2010s, as well as its 25th anniversary team in 2025.
De Colo was selected by San Antonio with the 53rd overall pick in the 2009 draft and spent three years as a draft-and-stash prospect before arriving in the NBA in 2012 at age 25. He spent the next two seasons stateside, appearing in 119 games for the Spurs and Raptors.
However, De Colo didn’t play a significant role in the NBA, averaging 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in just 11.9 minutes per night, with a .429/.363/.835 shooting line. His limited usage factored into his decision to return to Europe, where he also had a stint with ASVEL in France from 2022-25 in addition to a five-year run with CSKA Moscow (2014-19) and two separate stints with Fenerbahce (2019-22, plus this season). Before playing in the NBA, the 6’5″ guard spent time with Cholet in France (2006-09) and Valencia in Spain (2009-12).
Although De Colo hasn’t been in the NBA since 2014, he was still a fixture on Hoops Rumors each June for nearly a decade after that — the Raptors controlled his restricted free agent rights and issued him qualifying offers every summer from 2014-22 in case he decided to return to the league. But that never happened, and Toronto eventually renounced its rights to De Colo at the 2023 trade deadline in order to stay cap-compliant while completing a trade for Jakob Poeltl.
Now 38 years old, De Colo ranks second all-time among EuroLeague players in points. He’s also 10th in assists and fourth in steals.
Additionally, the veteran guard has a decorated international basketball résumé. He won silver medals with France at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, claimed bronze at the 2019 World Cup, and earned three EuroBasket medals, including gold in 2013.
I’m sad he never signed all of his Raptor qualifying offers… an offseason tradition like no other
Does Nando De Colo have a HOF resume? The answer is likely yes.
(This should serve as a point of education for readers).