The day after his Olympics run ended with a silver medal and a loss to Team USA, France’s Guerschon Yabusele was already campaigning for his next stop.
“Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. I’m ready,” Yabusele wrote on X , with two emojis tacked to the end.
Less than a week later, his opportunity materialized, with the 76ers signing the forward — and former first-round pick by the Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft — to a one-year contract worth $2.1 million, according to ESPN .
The Athletic added that Yabusele was “resolving” a $2.5 million buyout in his contract with Real Madrid, the team he has played with since the 2021-22 campaign.
Yabusele hasn’t played in the NBA since 2019, when he was waived by the Celtics and then shifted his career overseas.
Guerschon Yabusele, pictured on Aug. 10, helped France win a silver medal during the 2024 Olympics. NBAE via Getty Images Guerschon Yabusele, pictured on Aug. 10, dunks over LeBron James during France’s game against Team USA. Getty Images
But during France’s games in the Paris Olympics, Yabusele emerged as an option for NBA teams to at least consider after also appearing in three games for the country during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
He averaged 14 points per game — the 23rd-best clip among players participating in the international event — and helped France keep within striking distance of Team USA in the final, collecting 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting across 31 minutes.
During the second quarter, he even posterized LeBron James after driving past Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to finish the dunk.
France added him to its starting lineup before a quarterfinal game against Canada, and Yabusele responded with 22 points and then another 17 against Germany in the semifinals.
Guerschon Yabusele, pictured on Aug. 10, will have a chance to restart his NBA career with the 76ers. Getty Images
“We just want to win,” Yabusele told reporters after the win over Germany to clinch a spot in the gold-medal game. “Whoever, we’re going to figure it out.”
Yabusele didn’t make a significant impact during his previous NBA stint, appearing in just 74 games — and starting just five — with the Celtics.
This time, he’ll join an organization that lost to the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs last season, but the 76ers added Paul George to its starting lineup to pair with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and other stars.
And now, if his Olympics momentum carries over into training camp and the upcoming season, Philadelphia and head coach Nick Nurse could have another option to consider for minutes, too.
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