Top Scorer of the Lithuanian League Joseph Girard III Joins Cedevita Olimpija

Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team has strengthened its backcourt ahead of the 2025/26 season with the signing of American guard Joseph Girard III, who has agreed to a one-year contract with the Ljubljana-based club. In the 2024/25 season, Girard was the leading scorer of the Lithuanian national championship.

With the new competitive season approaching, Cedevita Olimpija’s backcourt will be bolstered by the arrival of the top scorer from the elite Lithuanian LKL league. Joseph Girard III is coming to Ljubljana after a successful US collegiate career—he began at Syracuse and finished at Clemson —before making his European debut in the 2024/25 season with Nevėžis Kėdainiai.

“We’re very pleased to welcome Joseph Girard III to our team for the new season,” said Cedevita Olimpija sporting director Chechu Mulero upon the signing. “Last year in Lithuania, he proved his quality and efficiency. He’s a highly competitive player with an excellent shot and great finishing versatility. With his energy and winning mentality, he will bring significant value to our roster.”

“He’s a very interesting player who played in Lithuania last season,” added head coach of the Dragons, Zvezdan Mitrović. “He’s versatile—a combination of playmaker, shooter, and pure scorer with strong instincts for the basket. He’s very talented and has the ability to create and finish plays on his own. His profile is somewhat different from our other players, which can give us an extra dimension. We expect him to come in highly motivated and eager to raise his game to a higher level. With his creativity, especially on the offensive end, he will be an important reinforcement for our team—just like we expect from all our players. We believe he’ll fit in well and be a major contributor, particularly on offense, in the upcoming season.”

“I’m super excited about joining the team and can’t wait to get a lot of wins!” said Girard III after signing his contract with the Ljubljana club.

After a standout high school career, Joseph (Joe) Girard III began his college journey at Syracuse, where he played from the 2019/20 to 2022/23 seasons. In his final year at Syracuse, he averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. He completed his NCAA career at Clemson, where in the 2023/24 season he averaged 15.4 points and 3.3 rebounds over 37 games.

In the 2024/25 season, he made his European debut. Playing in the Lithuanian LKL for Nevėžis Kėdainiai, he appeared in 35 games and averaged 21.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. With that scoring average, he became the top scorer of the Lithuanian national championship. He also impressed with his shooting efficiency—46.1% from the field, 41.5% from three-point range, and an outstanding 90.8% from the free-throw line.