French basketball star eyeing NBA comeback after strong Olympics

One French Olympian is hoping to use his standout performance at the Paris Games as a springboard back into the NBA.

France forward Guerschon Yabusele posted to X over the weekend that he was ready for a second chance in the NBA. The post comes after Yabusele just helped lead France to a second consecutive silver medal in Olympic men’s basketball.

Been waiting for a 2nd chance.. I’m ready

— Guerschon Yabusele (@yabusele28) August 11, 2024

Veteran basketball writer Marc Stein notes that Yabusele is currently under contract for one more season with Spanish basketball club Real Madrid and has an NBA buyout of $2.5 million.

The 28-year-old Yabusele was a first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics (No. 16 overall). But he only lasted for two seasons on the Celtics (a perennial contender with little room for developing young talent) and was out of the league by 2019. Without the opportunity, Yabusele only managed 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in mostly garbage-time minutes during his first stint in the NBA.

But Yabusele, who has been playing professionally in Europe for the last several years, has officially put himself back on the map. He was a starter for France throughout the Paris Olympics, averaging 14.3 points per game and providing excellent intangibles as well. Yabusele also had perhaps the single best moment of the Olympics for France’s team when he put LeBron James on a vicious poster during the gold medal game against the United States.

YABUSELE OVER LEBRON #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/361ovlVC1Z

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 10, 2024

Yabusele also made headlines last year for his role in a wild on-court brawl during a EuroLeague game. With his superb showing at the Paris Olympics though, there may still be another chapter left for Yabusele to write.