BOSTON — Guerschon Yabusele couldn’t have imagined playing in the NBA again, much less on the marquee Christmas Day stage. But the former Celtics forward got just that Wednesday as he checked into the game with the 76ers. Not only did his team get the victory, but he also got to do that at his old home.
“That’s definitely special,” Yabusele said. “It started just yesterday when we got to the city. Being able just to be in here, have the feeling looking around, familiar. So it was just fun. It was a really special moment to be here and play for Christmas.”
Yabusele put up 12 points and four rebounds, shooting 4-for-9 from the field as the Sixers beat the Celtics. The former first-round pick has developed well overseas as he’s now a legit role player for Philadelphia. Yabusele is averaging 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his 28 games for the Sixers so far.
That’s a far cry from the overseas game, where Yabusele spent the past several seasons after his NBA career initially didn’t take off. He was selected 16th overall by the C’s in the 2016 draft. Yabusele was in Boston from 2017-19, playing in 74 games, but he didn’t pan out into a contributor.
But Yabusele got his big stage that was the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was a key piece for France in the host country’s silver medal run that included a poster dunk on LeBron James. After improving his game — including adding a 3-point shot — he was vocal about wanting another shot in the association. He got just that with the Sixers as he’s enjoyed his success in the league thus far.
“I would’ve said so many things because I went on different teams and I’ve been in different situations,” Yabusele said. “So I’ve learned a lot. Had to change a couple of things in my game. I had other improve a couple things in my game. So I’m just a different person. All the things that I went through made me a different person on the court and off the court.”
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