Fribourg Olympic Signs American Point Guard Chris Lykes

Fribourg Olympic continues to sign players with experience in the French championship. After the arrival of Adrien Moerman, the reigning Swiss champions officially announced this Monday, October 12, the signing of Chris Lykes (5'7", 28 years old). The former Denain point guard, who also played in Denmark, Turkey and Belgium, joins the squad led by Thibaut Petit, a former BLMA coach. He notably compensates for the departures of Deyton Albury and Joe Toussaint, announced last Friday.

Chris Lykes, from Denain to Fribourg via Turkey and Belgium

The French championship knows Chris Lykes well. During the 2023-2024 season, the small American point guard wore Denain's colors in Pro B (now ELITE 2). In 20 games, he averaged 13.1 points on 50% shooting and 3.3 assists per game.

Before his time in the North of France, the former Miami and Arkansas (NCAA) college player began his professional career in Denmark, playing for Horsens IC, where he appeared in 27 games in 2022-2023.

After Denain, he joined Sigortam.net Istanbul in the Turkish second division. His stats there were particularly high: 21.9 points, 5.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game in 14 games.

In January 2025, Chris Lykes moved to Belgium to join Spirou Charleroi. He continued his career there until December 2025, before finding a new club in Fribourg for this 2026-2027 season.

The point guard actually already knows his new employer, having faced them with Charleroi. In their last meeting, he scored 27 points against the Fribourg side.

PROFIL JOUEUR

Chris LYKES

Poste(s): Meneur

Taille: 169 cm

Âge: 28 ans (22/07/1998)

Nationalités:

Stats 2025-2026 / BNXT League

PTS

12,9

#36

REB

2

#158

PD

5,5

#11

Two departures speed up the signing of Chris Lykes

The arrival of Chris Lykes meets an immediate need for Fribourg Olympic. On Friday, October 9, the Swiss club announced the departures of two American players signed during the offseason.

Deyton Albury had asked to leave the club for family reasons, while Joe Toussaint chose to continue his career abroad. Both guards left the squad before the home game against Lugano, won convincingly on Saturday (116-80).

Fribourg then began looking for reinforcements, with priority given to the point guard position. Three days later, the club officially announced the signing of Chris Lykes for the rest of the season.

In its statement, Fribourg Olympic highlights the offensive qualities of its new recruit. "With his speed, creativity and ability to make a difference, he will bring a new dimension to the Olympians' offensive game," the Swiss club explains.

PROFIL JOUEUR

Joe TOUSSAINT

Poste(s): Meneur

Taille: 183 cm

Âge: 26 ans (06/10/2000)

Nationalités:

Stats 2026-2027 / Swiss Basketball League

PTS

9

#38

REB

3

#53

PD

3,5

#15

Another former French championship player joins Thibaut Petit's squad

Chris Lykes joins a team that already includes several familiar faces from French basketball. Fribourg Olympic notably signed Adrien Moerman, a former French international and two-time EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The club can also count on Boris Mbala, who played in the LNB (notably at Limoges), as well as French center Izan Le Meut.

Leading this team is Thibaut Petit, a Belgian coach who notably worked at BLMA, the women's club from Lattes-Montpellier.

Fribourg has already lost twice this season

Defending Swiss champions, Fribourg Olympic have won three of their first four LNA games. After victories against Union Neuchâtel (75-68) and Monthey-Chablais (78-73), the club suffered its first league defeat on the court of Geneva (64-71), before bouncing back against Lugano (116-80).

With a record of three wins and one loss, Fribourg sits in third place in the standings, behind Geneva (4-0) and Nyon (3-1).

On the European stage, the Fribourg side were eliminated from Basketball Champions League qualifying by Batumi (85-86), before moving on to the FIBA Europe Cup. Placed in Group H, Fribourg got off to a rough start in the competition with a heavy defeat in Romania, on the court of Oradea (67-93), on Wednesday, October 7.

Thibaut Petit's team will host Greek side Mykonos this Tuesday, October 13 for their second European game. It remains to be seen whether Chris Lykes will be able to make his debut in his new colors by then.