Tag: Guerschon Yabusele

Guerschon Yabusele signs deal with Philadelphia 76ers

The former Boston Celtics forward has signed a minimum deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Guerschon Yabusele is heading back to the NBA. Unfortunately for Boston Celtics fans, the dancing bear will be joining the Philadelphia 76ers. Yabusele has earned another shot in the league courtesy of some stellar performances during the 2024 Paris Olympics where he shone as a featured member of France’s offense, helping them secure a silver medal.

Yabusele had a $2.5 million release clause with Real Madrid. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Sixers could pay up to $850,000 of his release clause, with Yabusele and Madrid forced to reach an agreement on the remaining value. Nevertheless, the veteran forward will be in Philadelphia on a veteran minimum.

“Yabusele is resolving his $2.5 million contract buyout with Real Madrid as he nears a return to the NBA,” Charanai reported. “To resolve his buyout with Real Madrid, Philadelphia would pay a maximum of $850,000, per league rules. The rest of the amount, roughly $1.6 million, would be resolved by Yabusele and Real Madrid.”

During the Olympics, Yabusele had joked with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he wanted to return to Boston. However, the Sixers were in need of some depth at the forward position, and his performances likely caught the eye.
Yabusele also impressed in Europe last season, averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game in the EuroLeague and 9.3 points and three rebounds while knocking down 39.4% in the Liga ACB. As such, Celtics fans will likely have to work through mixed emotions when Boston faces the Sixers on Christmas Day.
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Should the San Antonio Spurs sign 2024 Paris Olympics standout Guerschon Yabusele?

He held his own throughout the Olympics against high-level NBA talent, especially in a competitive gold medal game vs. the US National Team.

Should the San Antonio Spurs sign 2024 Paris Olympics standout Guerschon Yabusele? On one hand, he held his own throughout the Olympics against high-level NBA talent, especially in a competitive gold medal game vs. the US National Team.

He is also a friend and teammate of rising Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama. But on the other, it may not be as easy as it used to be to find the Dancing Bear (as Yabu is called for a nickname) minutes after picking up Harrison Ingram in the 2024 NBA draft and trading for veteran forward Harrison Barnes (especially if Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson stick with the team).

The folks behind the “TSR Sports” YouTube channel took a magnifying glass to the notion of San Antonio’s front office signing Yabusele to the team.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about a very French frontcourt rotation and its feasibility.

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NBA analyst floats San Antonio Spurs signing Team France star Guerschon Yabusele

The biggest obstacle may be playing time for Yabu.

The San Antonio Spurs were blessed to have the best player on the French National Team on their roster to root for in the 2024 Paris Olympics in star forward Victor Wembanyama. And if they elected to do so, they very likely could have the two best players from Team France on their roster, too.

Such a proposal came from the fingers of Hoops Habit’s Cal Durrett, who thinks that it would be a solid plan to sign French forward Guerschon Yabusele to the Spurs roster for the 2024-25 NBA season. The Dancing Bear — as Yabusele is called — was drafted 16th overall in the 2016 NBA draft, but was not ready for the Association when he came over.

He has since refined and expanded his game, to the point that he shone against one of the greatest collection of NBA talent ever assembled in Team USA. The biggest obstacle may be playing time for Yabu, but Durrett sees this as a superable challenge.

“The Spurs don’t have much depth at power forward, with Harrison Barnes likely to start at the four next season and Jeremy Sochan essentially playing small forward,” he suggests. “That could lead to a need at the backup four that Yabusele can fill.”

Still, the H/H analyst notes that there may be other clubs with more playing time that might interest Yabusele more. Is the French connection (no pun intended, but a heck of a potential nickname) enough?

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Former Boston Celtics draft pick Guerschon Yabusele named among players deserving an NBA contract

It is not just fans of the Boston Celtics clamoring for a return of the Dancing Bear.

It is not just fans of the Boston Celtics clamoring for a return of the Dancing Bear (better known as Guerschon Yabusele in most non-Celtics circles) to the NBA after his transcendent play in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In fact, league analyst Mark Deeks put him at the top of his recent list of players he believes deserve a shot (or in Yabu’s case, a second) at the Association.

The French forward was famously Boston’s No. 16 pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft so he could be stashed for a season. But Yabu likely came over too soon, and ended up seeing his contract cut before it ended. Now, older, wiser, and a much better player, even Yabusele has been clamoring for a shot in the NBA once again. 

“Surrounded by his NBA peers, Yabusele was nonetheless one of the best players on the silver medal-winning French team,” writes Deeks. “Rudy Gobert, one of the world’s best defensive players and the face of the French team, played only 12 minutes in the gold medal match against the USA, largely because Yabusele made him unnecessary.”

The Dancing Bear has been playing for Real Madrid after a short stint in the Chinese Basketball League, and has done well for himself there. “Last season, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game of Euroleague play; perhaps most importantly, he did so with 46.3% 3-point shooting,” notes the H/H analyst.

“(…) Yabusele played his way back into NBA contention with his performances in these games. And he knows it, too.”

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Ten Olympic players who deserve a look from the NBA

There follows a look at 10 players from the Olympics who are not currently playing in the NBA, but who could be: Guerschon Yabusele, Mathias Lessort and more.

The 2024 Olympic Basketball Tournament is over, and with it, so is all meaningful summer basketball. There are now a couple of months of relative downtime before the majority of the world’s leagues resume play, including the NBA.

Roster construction and scouting, though, never stop. And while the bulk of business is long since done, new information is coming in all the time, and situations are forever fluid. In particular, some players earned themselves some good money with their performances at these Games, and may have played their way onto the NBA radar.

There follows a look at 10 players from the Olympics who are not currently playing in the NBA, but who could be.

Could Guerschon Yabusele return to the Celtics?

After a strong performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics, could the Boston Celtics look to reunite with Guerschon Yabusele?

Guerschon Yabusele was last seen in a Boston Celtics uniform during the 2018-19 season. In recent years French forward has been plying his trade with European powerhouse Real Madrid in the Liga ACB and EuroLeague. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Yabusele emerged as a breakout star of the tournament, helping his team secure a silver medal.

Yabusele averaged 14 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 52% from the field and 29% from three-point range in the six games he played for France. He also jokingly told The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn that Boston should bring him back to the NBA. Boston currently has an open roster spot.

During a recent episode of the “How ‘Bout Them Celtics?” podcast, hosts Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance discussed a potential reunion for Yabusele and the Celtics. They touched on his performances in the Olympics and how that could potentially translate into Joe Mazzulla’s system.

You can hear the host’s full thoughts on potentially reuniting with Yabusele by clicking on the embedded video above.

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France’s Guerschon Yabusele wanted NBA teams to know he’s ready after a breakout showing in the Olympics

He earned another chance.

One of the underrated aspects of Olympic basketball is what the tournament can mean for a non-NBA player’s career. It’s an opportunity to go up against the world’s best basketball players on a major stage. And you best believe that NBA teams are paying attention.

With that in mind, France’s Guerschon Yabusele could probably expect some calls in the near future. He made it clear that he’s ready for that chance.

Yabusele was a former first-round pick who only lasted a couple seasons with the Celtics amid limited playing time. Since then, he’s put together a great career overseas, and in Saturday’s gold medal game against Team USA, he absolutely looked the part.

After his 20-point performance against the U.S., Yabusele took to Twitter/X and issued his message to NBA teams. He’s still just 28 years old.

He’s been waiting for a second chance, and he’s ready to go.

Yabusele — currently with Real Madrid — averaged 19.6 points per game in the knockout stage for France, and he stunned the basketball world with his poster dunk on LeBron James.

NBA fans wouldn’t mind seeing Yabusele get another shot in the league either.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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France’s Guerschon Yabusele put LeBron James on a poster with a devastating dunk during Olympic gold medal game

Guerschon Yabusele put LeBron James on a POSTER during Saturday’s Paris Olympics gold medal game.

LeBron James is still one of the best basketball players on the planet, but don’t tell that to French forward Guerschon Yabusele. 

Yabusele completed the incredibly difficult task of putting James on a poster on Saturday with this breathtaking dunk during the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal game for men’s basketball.

James had been having a stellar game to that point for Team USA, but the Yabusele dunk absolutely blew the roof off the arena and probably took the wind out of James’ sails for just a moment. 

The former Boston Celtics first-round pick hasn’t played in the NBA in quite some time, but he absolute put down an NBA-worthy highlight on the global stage against one of the best to ever do it. That’s pretty dang impressive.

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On this day: Wilkins and Hondo go for 43 – 31 years apart; Yabu born

On this day, two Celtics scored 43 points in games separated by 31 years, and former Boston big man Guerschon Yabusele was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame big man Dominique Wilkins scored 43 points in a 112-109 win over the Houston Rockets back in 1994 as The Human Highlight Reel put on a show for the ages on the same day another Celtics star did three decades and a year prior to the day (more on that later).

The huge game for Wilkins came on the road against the eventual NBA Champions at The Summit, their home arena in Houston. The Paris, France native’s full stat line for the night was 43 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, with 7 turnovers and 5 personal fouls across 41 minutes of playing time.

The Georgia product shot 16-of-27 from the floor overall, and a sizzling 5-of-6 from 3, going 6-of-9 from the charity stripe in the eighth-most points Wilkins ever scored in a game.

On this day: Hondo, Yabu, Swartz, Minor debut; Mikan born; Reed passes; Antoine Walker, Paul Silas trades

On this day in Celtics history, John Havlicek, Dan Swartz, Mark Minor, and Guerschon Yabusele debuted, Antoine Walker and Paul Silas were traded, Ed Mikan was born, and Justin Reed left us.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary Celtics small forward and future Hall of Famer John Havlicek played the very first game of his storied career with Boston in 1962.

An alum of the Ohio State’s Buckeyes men’s basketball program, Hondo — as Havlicek was sometimes called — had been selected ninth overall in that year’s NBA draft and played a major role for the team from the very first moment he played in the league, gracing the floor for 25 minutes of game time in his inaugural performance. That game happened to be a 149-116 obliteration of the New York Knicks, though Havlicek had a modest stat line in it.

The Martin’s Ferry native logged 6 points and 4 assists in the win.