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 Sunday. The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported that Yabusele and Philly were nearing an agreement.
Yabusele was a breakout star for Team France at the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 14.0 points per game -- second on the team behind only Victor Wembanyama -- on 51.9 percent shooting. He saved his best play for the knockout rounds, scoring 22 points in a quarterfinal win over Canada, 17 points in a semifinal win over Germany and 20 points in France's loss to Team USA in the gold medal game.
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The Celtics' first-round pick (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 waived him in 2019. He's carved out an impressive career at Real Madrid since then, however, helping the Spanish club win two Liga ACB titles (2022 and 2024) and a EuroLeague championship (2023).
After France's semifinal win over Germany, Yabusele joked to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, "You gotta tell (the Celtics) to bring me back," and was more explicit in his desire for an NBA comeback after the gold medal game, writing on social media that he was "ready" for his "2nd chance."
It appears Yabusele will get that second chance -- just not in Boston. The 28-year-old will add big man depth on a Philly squad featuring Joel Embiid, Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond in the frontcourt.
The Celtics should see plenty of Yabusele this season, as Boston plays Philly four times, the first matchup coming at TD Garden on Christmas Day. The Sixers also will visit Boston for a preseason matchup on Oct. 12.
