Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele is reclaiming his NBA dream

CAMDEN, New Jersey – French forward Guerschon Yabusele’s dunk over NBA legend LeBron James within the gold medal game of the 2024 Paris Olympics was immortalized in a photograph hanging in his recent home outside Philadelphia. While the dunk wasn’t a part of host France’s game-winning victory over the U.S., it serves as a reminder of how Yabusele’s stellar play earned him a return to the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“My advice is to just work hard, never give up and make your dreams come true. If you want it, you’re going to have to get it,” Yabusele told Andscape after practice on Oct. 9 on the Sixers’ practice facility.

The 76ers announced Yabusele’s signing to a one-year, $2.1 million contract on August 29, five years after he played within the NBA for the Boston Celtics. The signing of this contract also got here 19 days after the sharpshooter played within the gold medal match on the 2024 Paris Olympics. In six Olympics, he averaged 14 points in 23.3 minutes.

Yabusele got here to the Olympics with the dream of using it to land an NBA contract. And now that he’s back within the NBA with the Sixers, he “pinched himself a few times” in gratitude.

“We were driving through the city at night, and then I looked at my wife and said, ‘We’re going to be here all season,’” Yabusele said. “We won’t just be here for the summer (vacation). We will probably be there all season long. I play here. She was there after I was in Boston. We cannot consider it, but we be ok with it.

“I had quite a lot of moments (of gratitude). I remember feeling this sense after I got off the plane, going to training camp, going to the world for the primary time and customarily the entire atmosphere on the games. It’s just amazing to me.”

The Celtics chosen Yabusele with the sixteenth pick within the 2016 NBA Draft. A native of France, Dreux played the 2016–17 season in China for the Shanghai Sharks before joining the Celtics in 2017. He played sparingly for the Celtics in the course of the 2017–19 season, scoring a median 2.3 points in 74 games. Yabusele was best known on the time for making the bow and arrow gesture after scoring a three-pointer for Boston.

After failing to play a big role with the rising Celtics, Yabusele had no offer to return to the Celtics or another NBA team.

“I was able to take something away from all these experiences. The body of work. “Understand that you have to be ready,” Yabusele said. “The work ethic that I took from here has helped me a lot in my career up until this year.”

Yabusele then played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings in China before returning to France to play for NBA Hall of Famer Tony Parker’s ASVEL Basket in Lyon. The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder signed with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid on July 21, 2021. He helped lead Real Madrid to 2 Liga ACB championships and a EuroLeague title in 2023.

Last season, Yabusele averaged 9.7 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 44.5% from three-point range in 64 games for Real Madrid. Although he had a sound contract with Real Madrid for the upcoming season, he had an NBA rest clause if he was offered a contract. Even though no NBA call-ups were received before the Olympics, Yabusele someway kept the religion.

“I always thought about it too,” Yabusele said of returning to the NBA. “I didn’t want to offer up. Of course, after five years, I assumed, “Damn, I feel like I did okay some of those years.” I assumed perhaps I could try it, nevertheless it didn’t occur. But I’ve all the time had this hope, and that is what drives me, too. It gives me a purpose to get all of it done (work). I used to be all the time pushing myself, attempting to get back. “

By making a preliminary Olympic appearance in Lille, France, the French men’s basketball team didn’t help Yabusele’s hopes of impressing NBA teams.

France needed a desperate four-point late play to force extra time before beating winless Japan on July 30. Germany also routed France 85-71 on August 2 to finish qualifying. Despite a 2-1 record, the French played poor basketball within the qualifying quarterfinals on August 8 in Paris against a Canadian team that included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett and Jamal Murray, amongst others.

After France played so poorly in Lille, Yabusele said there was a scarcity of belief within the team. However, he still believed in his team and said so during a team meeting at their hotel.

“I want to say so many things and nothing at the same time,” Yabusele said of France’s game in Lille. “We were just still finding our way. The coaches were also trying to grasp what to do. And I don’t need to say it badly, but we weren’t together as we wanted after the defeat against Germany. We still won two out of three games. All the media, fans, people in our federation, everyone felt that we’d play our last match against Canada. It reached us personally. I took it personally…

You cannot be afraid and say: “Damn, this is going to be a difficult match. Oh my God.’ You read the comments. You read the media. “Oh, they’re playing Canada. They have so many NBA players. It’s over. We were beaten by them last year, so we don’t expect anything. I remember talking to the guys, pardoning my language, and saying, “F– that.” We’re going there to Paris and we’re going to win. There is no other way around it. Let’s go. We are at home. We have our family there. We in Paris. Now that Lille is over. Let’s go there and do what we have to do. “

France, with a game-high 22 points from Yabusele, defeated Canada 82-73 on August 6 within the quarterfinals in Paris. In the semifinals against Germany, Les Bleus gained revenge and advanced to the gold medal game with a 73-69 victory on August 8, which included Yabusele’s game-high 17 points and 7 rebounds. Yabusele and France immediately went from funny to lovable from the natives by advancing to the gold medal game and facing the favored U.S. team with their NBA superstars.

It was Yabusele, not NBA stars Victor Wembanyama or Rudy Gobert, who led France to the gold medal game. However, Yabusele said he still had no offers from NBA teams at that time, although interest appeared to be growing.

“We had heart. We found what was missing. We found a way. We fought,” Yabusele said.

Yabusele and France’s hopes of winning a men’s basketball gold medal ended on August 10 with a 98-87 victory for the USA. Wembanyama scored a game-high 26 points for France, while Yabusele added 20 points. If it weren’t for Stephen Curry’s stunning three-pointer that sealed the gold for Team USA, Yabusele’s stunning dunk over James would have been the highlight of the sport. Yabusele also felt that the Paris crowd was supportive of Team USA, which included Curry and all the opposite NBA stars.

“They are from France, but they ended up rooting for Curry,” Yabusele, 28, said.

The day after the gold medal game, Yabusele’s dunk was published in a French sports newspaper. It will probably be remembered as one in all the long-lasting moments of the 2024 Olympics. Yabusele added that it was “payback” for Team USA forward Vince Carter’s famous dunk over the pinnacle of French center Frederic Weis in a 7-2 victory on the Sydney Games in 2000.

“I won’t lie. It was good at that point,” Yabusele said of the dunk on James. “I didn’t realize it will be this big. I told the blokes that I’ve made just a few posters (dunks) in my life and a few good ones. But dunking LeBron in front of all of the people, especially at the ultimate Olympics with the entire world watching, I didn’t realize how big it was on the time…

“He blocked me just a few plays earlier. Of course he spoke earlier. But it was LeBron. You either post it or he blocks it.

Yabusele’s dreams of returning to the NBA got here true as he was capable of use a clause in Real Madrid’s contract and sign with Philadelphia. Yabusele left his belongings in a warehouse in Madrid and claims that Real Madrid are concerned about him rejoining the club in the longer term.

Gobert, the Minnesota Timberwolves star, is not surprised by Yabusele’s return to the NBA.

“He has been ready to return to the league for several years now,” Gobert told Andscape via text message. “The Olympics gave him a chance to really show it to the world. I think he’s more mature now.”

Yabusele hopes his return to the NBA with the Sixers will result in something long-term. He said his role in Philadelphia is to “knock down boards, rebound and, of course, hit 3s.” He also hopes that his return to the NBA will motivate those that try to beat all odds to pursue their dreams.

“Just never give up. If you didn’t make your dream come true the first time, it doesn’t mean it’s over,” Yabusele said. “You can’t give up. You have to work harder. I never give up, even though it was hard for me to leave Boston.”