A day after his Olympic exploits ended with a silver medal loss to Team USA, France’s Guerschon Yabusele was already working out for his next destination.
“I’ve been waiting for a second chance… I’m ready” – Yabusele I wrote to XTwo emojis are added at the end.
Less than a week later, his opportunity became a reality, as the 76ers signed the forward, who was the Celtics’ first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, to a one-year, $2.1 million contract. According to ESPN:.
Athletic reported that Yabusele He had “settled” the purchase for $2.5 million. He is under contract to Real Madrid, where he has been playing since the 2021-22 season.
Yabusele hasn’t played in the NBA since being released by the Celtics in 2019 and taking his career overseas.
However, during France’s games at the Paris Olympics, Yabusele also appeared in three games for his country at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, emerging as an option that NBA teams would at least consider.
He averaged 14 points per game, 23rd-best among players in international tournaments, and scored 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting in 31 minutes to help France close the gap against Team USA in the final.
In the second quarter, he dunked past Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and then decorated LeBron James like a poster boy.
France added him to the starting lineup before their quarterfinal match against Canada, and Yabusele responded with 22 points and then added 17 more in the semifinal win over Germany.
“We just want to win,” Yabusele told reporters after beating Germany to claim the gold medal. “Whoever wins, we’re going to do something.”
Yabusele failed to make much of an impact during his last NBA stint, appearing in just 74 games with the Celtics and starting just five of them.
2024 Paris Olympics
He will be joining the team that lost to the Knicks in the first round of last season’s playoffs, but the 76ers added Paul George to the starting lineup to pair with other stars such as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
And now, if his Olympic momentum carries over into training camp and next season, Philadelphia and head coach Nick Nurse may have another option to consider when it comes to playing time.
