Mission accomplished for the Dancing Bear.
Former Boston Celtics forward and France native Guerschon Yabusele has agreed to a one-year, $2.1 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday. Shams Charania of Athletic It was first reported that Yabusele and Philly were close to reaching an agreement.
Yabusele was a star for Team France at the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 14.0 points per game (second on the team behind Victor Wembanyama) and shooting 51.9 percent from the field. He saved his best game for the round of 16, scoring 22 points in a quarter-final win over Canada17 points in a semi-final win over Germany and 20 points in France loses to the USA in the gold medal match.
A first-round pick of the Celtics (16th overall) in the 2016 NBA draft, Yabusele played two seasons at the NBA level, appearing in 74 games and averaging just 2.3 points per game before Boston released him in 2019. He has carved out an impressive career with Real Madrid since then, helping the Spanish club win two Liga ACB titles (2022 and 2024) and a Euroleague championship (2023).
After France’s semi-final victory against Germany, Yabusele joked with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe“You gotta tell (the Celtics) to bring me back,” and he was more explicit in his desire for an NBA return after the gold medal game, writing on social media that he was “ready” for his “2nd chance.”
It appears Yabusele will get a second chance, but not in Boston. The 28-year-old will add depth to a Philly team that features Joel Embiid, Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond.
The Celtics should see a lot of Yabusele this season, as Boston faces Philly four timesThe first game will be at TD Garden on Christmas Day. The Sixers will also travel to Boston for a preseason game on October 12.
