Reputation is everything when it comes to NBA free agency. Fortunately for the The Philadelphia 76ersPositive reviews from some former players helped the team land its latest signing, Guerschon Yabusele.
Last week, the Sixers officially announced the signing of Yabusele after he signed a contract with Real Madrid in Spain. A day after the announcement, Yabusele arrived at the team’s training facility to meet the media for the first time.
That’s when the veteran forward revealed Nic Batum, and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot helped him pick the Sixers in free agency this summer.
“Timothe, especially when I was here before and he was here, he showed me a little bit of the city,” Yabusele told reporters. “When the rumor came out on the Internet, I spoke to Nicolas [Batum]and he was telling me how good Nick was [Nurse] “I was going to be like coach and the city, the love, the fans, everything, and he was telling me what a great place it would be for me to come here.”
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Yabusele also revealed that Luwawu-Cabarrot helped him meet Joel Embiid in the past.
The 2024-25 NBA season will not be Yabusele’s first time playing in the NBA. In 2016, Yabusele was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick. He made his debut with the Celtics in 2017 and spent two seasons there before being released in 2019.
While Yabusele has moved beyond the NBA since his time with the Celtics ended, his performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics with France helped put him back on the NBA radar. He won’t be teaming up with his fellow Frenchmen, but they were still instrumental in helping the Sixers.
Luwawu-Cabarrot is a long way from his time with the Sixers. The former 24th overall pick played with the Sixers for two seasons before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for the Thunder, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks before returning to Europe.
Batum recently spent one season with the Sixers. After starting the 2023-24 season with the LA Clippers, Batum was included in James Harden’s blockbuster. He played 57 games during the regular season with the Sixers. After a six-game playoff run, Batum hit the free agent market.
The 76ers have shown interest in bringing Batum back, but the veteran forward has been repurposing his talents for another season with the Clippers. His absence gives a player like Yabusele a chance to earn a role in the rotation.
