76ers Sign French Olympian Guerschon Yabusele to One-Year, $2.1M Deal

The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a one-year, $2.1 million deal with forward Guerschon Yabusele, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday, after he helped France win the silver medal at the Olympics earlier this month. Yabusele turns 29 this December.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele has appeared in 74 career NBA regular-season games

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound power forward was born and raised in Dreux, France, to parents who emigrated from Zaire. He was selected 16th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA draft. The Frenchman played two seasons (2017-19) with the Celtics before joining the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Through 74 career NBA regular-season games (five starts), Yabusele has averaged 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 6.6 minutes per contest while shooting 44.2% from the field, 32.3% from 3-point range, and 68.2% at the free throw line.

Free agent F Guerschon Yabusele has agreed on a one-year, $2.1 million minimum deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. Yabusele is rejoining the NBA’s Eastern Conference after leaving the Boston Celtics for Real Madrid in 2019. pic.twitter.com/imZ6yfYYMe

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 18, 2024

In Boston’s 110-97 regular-season finale win over the Brooklyn Nets on April 11, 2018, he recorded a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 (60%) shooting from the floor, along with one 3-pointer and three made free throws.

However, Yabusele was waived by the Celtics in July 2019. He then signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the CBA. In 15 games with Nanjing, he averaged 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 27.7 minutes.

After a season in China, he played in France with EuroLeague and LNB Pro A club ASVEL — a team owned by Hall of Famer Tony Parker — before signing with Real Madrid in the summer of 2021.

Yabusele will compete for minutes in the Sixers’ rotation

Yabusele spent the past three years with the Spanish club. He helped them win the EuroLeague title in 2023 and make the competition’s final four each season. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 9.6 points per contest while shooting 43% from 3-point range on 2.6 attempts per game.

Of course, Yabusele hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2018-19 campaign. This makes his signing with the 76ers even more intriguing. He made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and scored 13 points against the United States in the gold medal match.

He averaged just 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 16.8 minutes per game. Though, the former Celtic was always in the rotation. In the 2023 FIBA World Cup, he was also France’s second-leading scorer, averaging 10.8 points and 22.7 minutes per game.

AI is going crazy 🙄🧸✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/MOrMeutTdp

— Guerschon Yabusele (@yabusele28) August 14, 2024

Furthermore, Yabusele has a chance to compete for minutes in the 76ers’ rotation this coming season. Philadelphia’s biggest move of the summer was signing Paul George to a four-year max contract. The Sixers also retained Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry as free agents and signed Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Andre Drummond.

Yabusele was also a breakout star in France’s run to the Olympic gold medal game. He scored 22, 17, and 20 points against Canada, Germany, and the United States, respectively. Across those three games, Yabusele shot an impressive 16-of-24 (66.7%) from the field.