The Boston Celtics will have plenty of representation in the gold medal match of the 2024 Summer Olympics, but it won't just be from Team USA. France features forward Guerschon Yabusele, who was selected by the C's in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft.
Although Yabusele never made much of a name for himself in the NBA, he's thrived abroad. In 2017 he was an All-Star in the Chinese Basketball Association and in 2023 he won the EuroLeague championship with Real Madrid. More recently, “The Dancing Bear” has been putting on a show in his home country during the Paris Olympics.
While France boasts NBA talent like three-time All-Star Rudy Gobert and reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, Yabusele was arguably the MVP for Les Bleus during their semifinal matchup with Germany on Thursday. The 6-foot-8 Frenchman notched a team-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. All of his buckets were needed too, as Germany nearly surmounted a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter before ultimately falling, 73-69.
Yabusele and company will now prepare for their toughest task yet: Team USA. Saturday will mark the second straight meeting between France and the United States in the Olympic men's basketball final.
But before that high-profile showdown, Yabusele ensured that those covering the NBA were paying attention to his performance against Germany. He even found a Celtics reporter and suggested that the Green Team should bring him back to Beantown next season, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
Could Yabusele actually return to the Celtics?
At the moment, the Celtics have an open roster spot.
Free agent forward Oshae Brissett could still possibly return to Boston and fill that lone vacancy, but it sounds like he'd rather have more playing time than another stint with the Celtics.
Stylistically, Yabusele would gel with Boston's system. Head coach Joe Mazzulla's offense emphasizes the 3-pointer, and Yabu has never been afraid to pull from beyond the arc. He also has the size to defend opposing big men, making him a decent 3-and-D option.
Despite these positive signs, Yabusele's NBA career never took off. He failed to shoot over 33% from 3-point range in his two seasons with the Celtics—averaging just 7.1 minutes and 2.3 points per game.
Europe has been a different story. Yabusele has shot 38% or better from deep in every season of his post-Celtics career. During the 2023-24 campaign with Real Madrid, the 28-year-old recorded 10.5 points and a career-high 4.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per outing.
This statistical jump shows promise, however, the C's will likely decide against a reunion. The reigning NBA champions enjoy a stacked roster that includes three current Olympians: Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White.
Moreover, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has kept one roster spot open heading into past regular seasons, so there's plenty of reason to think he'll do it again this year with such a talented team.
Yet, just because Yabusele probably won't end up with the C's doesn't mean another franchise won't take a chance on him. And what better way to impress NBA brass than by excelling in the gold medal match against some of the best players in the world?
The last time Yabusele squared off with Team USA on the big stage was during the final match of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He posted 13 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes and was the only French player to hit more than two 3-pointers. His efforts weren't enough to garner gold though, as the Americans prevailed 87-82 off of great games from Tatum and Kevin Durant (who's now the USA's Olympic all-time leading scorer).
Yabusele and France will have a shot at revenge on their home turf on Saturday, with the quest for gold culminating on Saturday at the Accor Arena in Paris.
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