The Philadelphia 76ers are signing one of the stars of the Paris Olympics. French basketball star Guerschon Yabusele agreed to a one-year deal with the NBA franchise, per ESPN. His contract is worth $2.1 million.
Yabusele is also working on a deal that would let him out of a $2.5 million contract with Real Madrid, according to The Athletic. The French star was a key cog for the France national team at the Paris games. The French squad won the silver medal, and pushed Team USA to the brink in the gold medal contest. Yabusele averaged 14 points for the club during their Olympics run. The power forward played well in tandem with NBA star Victor Wembanyama.
After that string of excellent performances, multiple NBA teams came calling for Yabusele's services. The power forward has been out of the NBA for several years, after playing with the Boston Celtics from 2017-2019.
Guerschon Yabusele is getting a second chance in the NBA
Yabusele is proving that a hot hand can truly earn you a second chance. He averaged just 6.5 minutes a game during his two seasons previously in the NBA with Boston. He also averaged 2.3 points per game with the Celtics, only getting work in limited action.
In Philadelphia, the power forward will get a chance to earn a starting spot. The 76ers are trying to build a championship caliber roster around center Joel Embiid. Embiid had injury problems in 2023-24, which kept him out of the lineup for long stretches of time. The 76ers weren't able to get the momentum needed to win without him, and the team lost in the Eastern Conference playoffs to the New York Knicks in six games.
76ers fans are surely excited that the team grabbed Yabusele. Time will tell if he is able to make the most of this second chance in the NBA.