Earvin N'Gapeth

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Not to be confused with Earving.

Earvin N'Gapeth
N'Gapeth in 2018
Personal information
NationalityFrench
Born (1991-02-12) 12 February 1991 (age 34)
Saint-Raphaël, France
Height1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight94 kg (207 lb)
Spike358 cm (141 in)
Block327 cm (129 in)
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Current clubTurkey Fenerbahçe
Number9
Career
YearsTeams
2008–2011
2011–2013
2013
2014–2018
2018–2021
2021–2023
2022
2023–2024
2024
2024
2025–		France Tours VB
Italy Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
Russia Kuzbass Kemerovo
Italy Modena Volley
Russia Zenit Kazan
Italy Modena Volley
Iran Paykan Tehran (loan)
Turkey Halkbank
Indonesia Jakarta Bhayangkara Presisi
France Stade Poitevin Poitiers
Turkey Fenerbahçe
National team
2010– France
Honours
Men's volleyball
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team
FIVB World League
Gold medal – first place 2015 Rio de Janeiro
Gold medal – first place 2017 Curitiba
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Kraków
FIVB Nations League
Gold medal – first place 2022 Bologna Team
Gold medal – first place 2024 Łódź Team
Silver medal – second place 2018 Lille Team
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Rimini Team
CEV European Championship
Gold medal – first place 2015 Italy/Bulgaria

Earvin N'Gapeth (born 12 February 1991) is a French professional volleyball player who plays for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe and represents France in international competitions. He has achieved numerous accolades, including the French league championship in 2010, the Italian league championship in 2016, and the European continental championship in 2015. N'Gapeth is a four-time gold medalist in the World League/Nations League (2015, 2017, 2022, 2024) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2020, 2024).

Early life

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N'Gapeth was born in Saint-Raphaël, France, and spent most of his childhood in the nearby commune of Fréjus. During his youth, he participated in both volleyball and football, initially showing a strong passion for football, where he played as a centre-forward. While living in Fréjus, he attended a football academy and played alongside French footballer Layvin Kurzawa. At age 11, his family relocated to Poitiers, a city with a more prominent volleyball community than football. Consequently, N'Gapeth shifted his focus from football to volleyball. He progressed quickly in the sport and turned professional in 2008, at the age of 17.[1][2]

Professional career

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N'Gapeth began his professional volleyball career in the 2008–09 season when he signed with Tours VB, where he spent three seasons and won the Pro A league title in 2009–10. In 2011–12, he moved to Italy to join Piemonte Volley in Serie A1, playing two seasons and helping the team reach the CEV Champions League final in 2012–13 as runners-up. The following season, he transferred to Kuzbass Kemerovo in the Russian Super League but left mid-season to return to Italy with Modena Volley. During his tenure at Modena, N'Gapeth won the Italian Cup and Italian SuperCup in 2014–15, and the Italian Championship, Italian Cup, and Italian SuperCup in 2015–16. After four seasons with Modena, he returned to Russia to play for Zenit Kazan in the Russian Super League until 2021.[2]

National team career

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On October 6, 2010, N'Gapeth was expelled from the French national volleyball team on disciplinary grounds during the World Championship in Italy following an incident in which he insulted then-coach Philippe Blain.[3][4] Despite this setback, he returned to the national team for the 2011 European Championship. In 2014, N'Gapeth competed at the World Championship held in Poland, where France finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Germany. He played a key role in France’s victorious 2015 World League campaign. On October 18, 2015, he contributed to France’s European Championship triumph with a straight-sets 3–0 win over Slovenia in the final.[5] In 2017, N'Gapeth was named Most Valuable Player of the World League, leading France to win the gold medal.[2]

Awards and honors

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Clubs

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N'Gapeth with the Asian Championship Medal with Paykan Tehran VC in Tehran, Iran

National team

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Youth national team

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Individual awards

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Endorsements

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N'Gapeth is sponsored by Adidas.[7]

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In December 2014, N'Gapeth was given a suspended sentence of three months' imprisonment by the Montpellier criminal court for his involvement in a nightclub brawl in August 2013.[4]

In July 2015, N'Gapeth was arrested following an incident at Paris Montparnasse station involving an alleged assault on a TGV train conductor. N'Gapeth and his brother were waiting for a friend when N'Gapeth requested to delay the train’s departure.[4] The conductor accused N'Gapeth’s brother of blocking the train door, leading to an argument during which N'Gapeth allegedly insulted and struck the conductor, causing minor injuries. It was also reported that N'Gapeth threw a newspaper at the conductor's face. In April 2016, N'Gapeth was sentenced to a three-month suspended prison term and fined €3,000.[8] However, in March 2018, the Court of Appeal of Paris acquitted N'Gapeth of all charges related to the incident.[9]

In November 2015, N'Gapeth was involved in a hit-and-run incident outside the Frozen Club in Modena, Italy, which resulted in injuries to three pedestrians. Two victims sustained minor injuries, while one was critically injured and hospitalized. N'Gapeth fled the scene but later turned himself in to the Italian authorities by voluntarily going to the prosecutor's office to confess. Following the incident, Modena Volley imposed a temporary suspension on him for several games.[10][11] In May 2018, he pleaded guilty before a judge in Modena and was sentenced to a one-year suspended prison term along with a suspended driving license.[12][13]

In December 2017, N'Gapeth was stopped by Modena traffic police during a routine check and found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. Following an evening spent at a wine bar and the Frozen Club in Modena, Italy, with his teammates, he was measured to have a blood alcohol level of 1.98 g/L, nearly four times the Italian legal limit of 0.50 g/L. As a result, his driver's license was immediately revoked, and the car he was traveling in was towed away.[14]

In December 2019, N'Gapeth was arrested in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, following allegations of sexual assault. A woman accused him of slapping her buttocks during a party at a local nightclub. N'Gapeth told authorities that he believed the woman was a friend and that he did not intend to cause harm.[15] He was held in custody for over 24 hours before being released on bail set at €10,000. Following the incident, the French Ministry of Sports removed N'Gapeth from a video campaign against sexual violence, citing precautionary measures despite his presumption of innocence.[9]

Personal life

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N'Gapeth is of Cameroonian descent through his father, Éric N'Gapeth, who was born in Cameroon and represented France in volleyball at the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics.[2]

N'Gapeth was named after basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson by his father, who has long been an avid basketball fan.[2][16]

N'Gapeth has described his volleyball career as highly fulfilling, expressing no regrets about choosing volleyball over football. He noted that the life of a professional footballer appears more complex, with greater pressure and heightened media scrutiny. Nevertheless, he has expressed a desire to have continued playing football for a longer period, as he finds the sport itself genuinely engaging. Outside of his volleyball career, N'Gapeth maintains his passion for football by playing FIFA on his PlayStation and organizing informal matches with friends at local football pitches during his spare time.[1]

N'Gapeth supports Paris Saint-Germain as his favorite football club and cites Zinedine Zidane as his favorite footballer.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ngapeth still enamoured with first love". Inside FIFA. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Charles, Michael (20 June 2024). "Earvin N'Gapeth is the key, once again, to France's gold medal aspirations at Paris 2024". Olympics.com. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Volley : Earvin Ngapeth exclu du groupe France pour raison disciplinaire". Le Monde. 6 October 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Volley: Ngapeth entendu par la police après l'agression d'un contrôleur de train". Le Point. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  5. ^ "France celebrate historic European crown, Slovenia happy with silver". European Volleyball Confederation. 18 October 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Récompenses individuelles LNV". LNV Ligue A Masculine. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  7. ^ Burcklé, Marie (25 October 2016). "Sponsoring – Earvin Ngapeth rejoint la Team adidas". Sport Buzz Business. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Agression d'un contrôleur SNCF : le volleyeur Ngapeth condamné à trois mois avec sursis". Le Parisien. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  9. ^ a b Lesage, Julien (11 December 2019). "Volley : Ngapeth effacé de la campagne contre les agressions sexuelles sur les enfants". Le Parisien. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Italie : Earvin Ngapeth heurte trois piétons". L'Équipe. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  11. ^ Bortolotti, Luca (10 November 2015). "Modena, investe tre pedoni e scappa: si costituisce stella del volley francese". la Repubblica. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Investì tre pedoni e fuggì: Ngapeth patteggia un anno". La Pressa. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Investì tre pedoni e fuggì: un anno al pallavolista Ngapeth". la Repubblica. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  14. ^ Reggianini, Paolo (5 December 2017). "Volley: Ngapeth ancora nei guai, ritiro della patente per guida in stato di ebbrezza". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  15. ^ Savarese, Mauricio (9 December 2019). "French volleyball star arrested in Brazil for sexual assault". CBC.ca. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  16. ^ Lesage, Julien (5 August 2024). "Aux origines du talent d'Earvin Ngapeth avec son père Éric : « Il a toujours eu un ballon dans les mains »". Le Parisien. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Earvin Ngapeth.
Awards
Preceded by Most Valuable Player
Olympic Games
Tokyo 2020
Paris 2024 		Succeeded by
TBD
Preceded by Best Outside Spiker of
Olympic Games
Tokyo 2020 (with Russia Egor Kliuka)
Paris 2024 (with France Trévor Clévenot) 		Succeeded by
TBD
Preceded by Most Valuable Player
FIVB Nations League
Bologna 2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Best Outside Spiker of
FIVB Nations League
Bologna 2022
(with France Trévor Clévenot) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Most Valuable Player
FIVB World League
Rio de Janeiro 2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Best Outside Spiker of
FIVB World League
Rio de Janeiro 2015
(with Poland Michał Kubiak) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Most Valuable Player
FIVB World League
Curitiba 2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Best Outside Spiker of
FIVB World League
Curitiba 2017 (with Brazil Ricardo Lucarelli) 		Succeeded by