Shane Larkin has opened up about the reasons behind his decision to leave Anadolu Efes for Fenerbahçe, insisting that money was never the driving force behind the move.
Speaking in a teaser for the upcoming Off the Recourt program, the veteran guard made it clear that his priority was cementing his legacy rather than securing a bigger paycheck.
“This was never about chasing money. If I wanted to, I could have gone somewhere else and made $10, $12, even $15 million. I could have bought my Ferrari and driven it to practice every day. I want to be remembered as one of the greatest ever – actually, I want to be the greatest to ever do it. There were still a few things missing for me to achieve that.”
Larkin also reflected on the difficult ending to his long spell with Anadolu Efes, revealing he felt the club had failed to keep promises made to him.
“I respect everyone. I’m a soldier. Whoever you give me, I’ll go to war with them. But I was told I was going to be the No. 1 player on this team, and then suddenly the rug was pulled out from under me. I ended up falling flat on my face.”
The 33-year-old added that communication with the club’s management became increasingly frustrating, particularly when it came to roster decisions.
“You say, ‘We can’t lose this player,’ and then you lose him. Then you say, ‘We can’t lose that player,’ and you lose him too. Of course that’s frustrating. You tell them ‘A,’ and they go and do ‘B.‘”
Larkin also admitted he was hurt by the criticism he received over his injury problems during the final stage of his Efes career.
“People started saying I was faking my injuries. That first reaction was really shocking.”
Shane Larkin: “My move to Fenerbahçe was never about the money”https://t.co/ttGeHDkc7P
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) July 19, 2026
