Guerschon Yabusele jokes that Celtics should ‘bring me back’ amid Olympics heroics
Guerschon Yabusele has played a key role in France's run to the gold-medal game in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Guerschon Yabusele struggled to find his footing in the NBA, only appearing in 74 total games with the Celtics from 2017-19.
Boston’s first-round selection (16th overall) in the 2016 NBA Draft — taken in the same class as Jaylen Brown — might not have developed into the versatile forward that the Celtics envisioned he would be (2.3 points per game, 1.4 rebounds per game).
But the now-28-year-old Yabusele is still playing pro basketball in Europe — with the Frenchman emerging as a breakout star for his native country during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
While 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama has been the key conduit that has put France on a collision course with Team USA in the upcoming gold-medal game on Saturday, Yabusele has his fingerprints all over France’s latest medal run.
Yabusele, who ranks second on France in scoring (12.8 points per game) has elevated his game since the group stage of the international tournament — scoring a team-high 22 points in an upset win over Canada in the quarterfinals before adding 17 points and seven rebounds in his team’s semifinal win over Germany on Thursday.
Even though Yabusele has played in both France and Spain over the last five seasons, could this latest run during the Olympics perhaps spur any chance of a return to the NBA?
Yabusele brought up the scenario on Thursday while speaking to The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.
“You gotta tell (the Celtics) to bring me back,” Yabusele said with a smile to Washburn.
Granted, the Celtics have barely any room left on their roster to add any player this offseason — let alone a familiar face like Yabusele.
But Yabusele — who has two Liga ACB titles (2022 and 2024) and a EuroLeague championship (2023) with Real Madrid — could be an intriguing option for an NBA team looking for some versatility on their frontcourt if he’s interested in charting an NBA comeback.
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