Guerschon Yabusele

Guerschon Yabusele (born 17 December 1995) is a French professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the French national team in international competitions. He was considered one of the best international prospects for the 2016 NBA draft. Yabusele was drafted with the 16th overall pick by the Boston Celtics and played for them from 2017 to 2019, splitting time with Boston's G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. While in Boston, Yabusele became a fan favorite despite playing few minutes and was nicknamed The Dancing Bear. He has also played in the Chinese Basketball Association and the lower-level French LNB Pro B. Standing at 2.04m, he primarily plays at the power forward position.

Early life
Yabusele was born and raised in Dreux, France, to parents who emigrated from Zaire. Throughout the early portions of his life, Yabusele trained as a boxer. He began playing basketball with the youth sections of Chorale Roanne Basket in 2012, competing with their under-21 team.

Professional career
Yabusele joined the official Roanne team of the LNB Pro B in 2013 and finished the season averaging 1.5 points per game in 8 appearances. He remained with the team for the next season, after which he averaged six points, four rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Yabusele signed with Rouen Métropole Basket of the LNB Pro A, the top league in France, in the summer of 2015. He made the decision to help his NBA draft stock. Yabusele wound up being one of 13 international underclassmen (and one of four Frenchmen) to officially enter their names for the 2016 NBA draft. He was projected to be either a late first round or early second round selection, but surprised many by going 16th overall in the draft. Yabusele joined the Boston Celtics for the 2016 NBA Summer League.

On 21 July 2016 it was announced that Yabusele would sign a deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). In 43 games for the Sharks, he averaged 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds. Yabusele was named a CBA All-Star for the production he laid out for the Sharks.

On 29 March 2017 Yabusele signed with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.

On 20 July 2017 Yabusele signed with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. He made his debut on 20 October, finishing with the statline of 3 points and 1 rebound in just 3 minutes of action in a 102–92 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. During his rookie season, he received multiple assignments to the Maine Red Claws. Yabusele's career highs all occurred during the 2017-18 season. His high in rebounds (6) came in a 111-104 win against the Chicago Bulls, his career high in assists (5) came in a 125-124 loss to the Washington Wizards, and his career high in points (16) came in a 110-97 win against the Brooklyn Nets. On 10 July 2019 Yabusele was waived by the Celtics.

On 17 August 2019 Yabusele signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, returning to the CBA for the 2019–20 season.

On 25 February 2020 he signed with ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A. Yabusele re-signed with the team on 1 June.

On 12 July 2021 Yabusele signed a one-year contract with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. On 9 January 2022 Yabusele signed a three-year contract extension with Real Madrid, keeping him until the end of the 2024–2025 season.

EuroLeague

 * style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20
 * style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| ASVEL
 * 2 || 1 || 23.0 || .429 || .400 || — || 3.5 || — || 2.5 || 1.0 || 8.0 || 6.5
 * style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21
 * 30 || 26 || 25.1 || .465 || .384 || .714 || 4.2 || 1.2 || .8 || .6 || 11.0 || 11.0
 * style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22
 * style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| Real Madrid
 * 36 || 34 || 27.6 || .502 || .402 || .789 || 4.8 || 1.7 || 1.0 || .3 || 11.9 || 13.5
 * style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| 2022–23†
 * 29 || 16 || 23.8 || .510 || .421 || .710 || 4.0 || 1.3 || .8 || .3 || 9.7 || 11.4
 * style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24
 * 27 || 13 || 23.6 || .565 || .461 || .868 || 4.9 || 1.0 || .8 || .2 || 10.5 || 14.2
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Career
 * 124 || 90 || 25.2 || .504 || .411 || .770 || 4.4 || 1.3 || .9 || .3 || 10.8 || 12.4
 * style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24
 * 27 || 13 || 23.6 || .565 || .461 || .868 || 4.9 || 1.0 || .8 || .2 || 10.5 || 14.2
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Career
 * 124 || 90 || 25.2 || .504 || .411 || .770 || 4.4 || 1.3 || .9 || .3 || 10.8 || 12.4