FRENCH forward Guerschon Yabusele is returning to the NBA after his Paris Olympics heroics.
The former Boston Celtics forward claimed silver at the 2024 Games – during which he memorably posterized Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
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Yabusele, 28, has reportedly agreed on a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 6-foot-8 forward spent two years with the Celtics after they drafted him at No. 16 overall in 2016.
He made 74 NBA regular-season appearances for Boston during that time, averaging 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds.
Yabusele spent the past three seasons playing for Spain’s Real Madrid.
He won two national championships as well as the 2023 EuroLeague title while with the Madrid team.
Earlier this month, the forward starred for France during the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics.
He averaged 14.0 points and 3.3 rebounds while initially coming off the bench for Les Bleus.
On the way to the gold medal game with Team USA, Yabusele eventually moved to the starting lineup over Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert.
He erupted for 20 points against the Americans in the final while also logging two assists and two steals.
The Frenchman posterized James in the second quarter after switching away from Kevin Durant off a fake screen from Frank Ntilikina, opening up a lane for him to drive into the paint.
Yabusele found himself one-on-one with LeBron by the right block.
He then launched himself into the air before extending his right arm and hammering down a spectacular one-handed slam that left King James tumbling to the ground.
The play left NBC play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle screaming at the top of your lungs.
He then dropped a brilliant quote from The Wire character Omar Little, uttered during a bloody shootout in Season 1 of the iconic HBO show.
Highest contracts in NBA history
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics – 5 years, $314 million
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics – 5 years, $285.4 million
- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets – 5 years, $276.1 million
- Bradley Beal, Suns – 5 years, $251 million (signed with Washington)
- Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves – 5 years, $244.6 million
Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers – 5 years, $244.6 million
Per Spotrac
“You come at the king, you best not miss,” Eagle yelled.
In addition to his athleticism, Yabusele is a 4 who can stretch the floor thanks to his 3-point shot.
The forward’s outside shooting improved after he returned to Europe compared to his two-year stint with the Celtics (32.3% on 0.9 3-point attempts per game).
In five EuroLeague campaigns with ASVEL and Real Madrid, Yabusele knocked down 41.1% of his triples on 3.3 tries per appearance.
However, the 3-point line is slightly shorter in international basketball.
Yabusele will compete for rotation minutes in Philadelphia with Caleb Martin and KJ Martin.
