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One of the breakout stars of the men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympics is headed back to the NBA.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Yabusele and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.1 million minimum deal on Sunday.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first reported the sides were nearing an agreement.
While Yabusele previously played in the NBA, he returned to the spotlight among American fans this summer while helping lead France to a silver medal. The host nation battled the United States in a tightly contested gold-medal game before Stephen Curry’s three-point barrage decided it.
Curry wasn’t the only one who turned heads in that contest, though, as Yabusele threw down a monster dunk over LeBron James:
Yabusele ended up averaging 14 points per game for France during the Olympics, and plays like the dunk over James surely caught the eye of the NBA world.
He indicated that he was ready to take advantage of that increased attention:
The forward first entered the NBA as the No. 16 overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft and appeared in 74 total games for the Boston Celtics. He was never more than an ancillary contributor and averaged 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from deep.
Yabusele hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2018-19 campaign, although he has played internationally and impressed at the Olympics.
Philadelphia has several impact wing players on the roster, including Paul George, Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon. Still, there may be room at the power forward position for Yabusele to play his way into a role in the rotation.
If nothing else, he’s joining a contender as someone who can provide a spark off the bench.
