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The French forward has since signed with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, bringing an end to his second NBA stint after spending time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Knicks, and Chicago Bulls. Yabusele's return to the league started positively in Philadelphia, but his situation changed after joining New York. He appeared in 41 games for the Knicks, averaging only nine minutes and failing to make a single start. "I spoke with my wife, my agents, and my mentor," Yabusele told AS about his decision to leave. "It was an important decision. I didn't make it easily. It took a long time, and there were many questions." "I thought about French teammates who had gone through the same thing and stayed there for years without playing. I can't do that. I was the one who decided to leave, not them. I'd rather be the one making that decision."
Guerschon Yabusele: "I was just calling because I've been thinking about the NBA offer I received. Honestly, I've got to admit, it's less than I expected. Especially considering all the risks I've taken over the years. I really think making a big return to Europe would be pretty exciting. The Panathinaikos offer really speaks to me. So, I think it's time to come back to Europe. I'm ready. I'm all in. It's a club with huge ambitions. They're on a mission too. So I think it really fits who I am, and I believe we can achieve great things together. We'll talk more about it later, but I just wanted to leave you a message to let you know I'm ready to come back."
Michael Scotto: Free agent forward Guerschon Yabusele has agreed to a three-year deal with Panathinaikos, league sources told @hoopshype. Yabusele will be one of the top three highest-paid European players. He's averaged 8.3 points over the past two NBA seasons with the 76ers, Bulls and Knicks.
After signing a two-year deal with New York last offseason, Yabusele struggled to carve out a consistent role with the eventual NBA champions before later being traded to the Chicago Bulls. On his new YouTube series Summer With the Bear, Yabusele opened up about the frustration of the season while making it clear he views the experience as motivation to come back stronger. "This season I had this year was probably one of the toughest seasons I've had because things didn't really go the way I hoped they would," Yabusele said. "There were challenges, but that's also why I play basketball and why I love it. It's all about the work it takes to get there. Nothing comes easy."
His path could have looked very different. Before choosing the Knicks, Yabusele said he had a similar offer from the Denver Nuggets following his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers. "I got a call from my agent telling me first that we had an offer from Denver and that it could be cool. It was a two-year deal, so I started thinking about that option. Right after that, my agent calls me and says, 'I just got off the phone with New York, and New York is also interested in pretty much the same deal,'" he revealed.
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Guerschon Yabusele: So now you are going to be a free agent. We are waiting for the month of July, but there are still rumors circulating. They are not on the United States side; they are on the France side, since we hear your name circulating around ASVEL. We know that you relaunched yourself there after the Celtics. Let’s also remind people that ASVEL has very big projects. They are announcing a budget of fifty million euros with TP as coach. It is a club you know. Is it an option for you to return to Europe?” Guerschon Yabusele: “Well, actually, I will never say no. I will never say no. But where, uh, it has to be clarified is that for me today, it is the NBA first. Why? Very simple. Uh, if the NBA, I do not go back there this summer, let’s say, I think it is going to be finished. We all agree. I do not think I would have a second chance to be able to go back.
Guerschon Yabusele on his lack of playing time in New York: “And same thing, the games go on, the games go on, and well, I still do not play. I still do not play. And sometimes, zero minutes, sometimes... And me, there, actually, it hit me, where I say to myself, ‘Ah, but I feel like I am in Boston, actually.’ When I look at Boston, we are in 2026, and it was ten years ago. It hit me. I said to myself, ‘Damn, ten years. A ton of things have happened, you know, since then, and I am still getting zero minutes. It is not possible.’ The frustration was there. I would go home, I did not know what to do anymore. I said to myself, ‘But it is not possible. I am not going to go back into that for the whole season.’ And I signed there for two years. And I say to myself, ‘He signed for three years or four years, the coach. I am not going to not play for two years.’
Head coach Frederic Fauthoux has named a 16-player roster for the senior national team of France heading into the upcoming July window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, as revealed by the French Federation of Basketball on Friday. The star-studded training camp squad is highlighted by the returns of veterans Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier, alongside a strong NBA contingent featuring Bilal Coulibaly, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Guerschon Yabusele, and newcomer Maxime Raynaud. While France will be without Victor Wembanyama following his deep run in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, Fauthoux balanced the roster with EuroLeague standouts Sylvain Francisco, Nadir Hifi, Jaylen Hoard, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Frank Ntilikina, Elie Okobo, and Matthew Strazel, who were also called up alongside window veterans Adam Mokoka and Amine Noua to ensure continuity.
Dubai BC is reportedly very interested in bringing Guerschon Yabusele back to Europe after his last two seasons in the NBA. The French forward played for the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, confirming himself as an experienced and physical profile for the European market. Dubai’s interest would fit the club’s ambitious EuroLeague project.
Guerschon Yabusele has significantly expanded his influence within the basketball world by becoming a key shareholder in the acquisition of Union Mons-Hainaut. This strategic takeover, orchestrated by the French multi-sport investment firm CityX Clubs, was announced on Thursday. It marks a new chapter for the Belgian BNXT League side following months of financial instability. By acquiring stakes through athlete equity, the firm aims to instill a culture of elite professionalization. Yabusele, currently the captain of the French senior national team, is part of a group of international investors, including NFL Super Bowl champion Nakobe Dean and WNBA standout Migna Toure, to secure the club’s long-term future.
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K.C. Johnson: Guerschon Yabusele also is pushing back on notion he’s for sure returning to Europe next season after declining his player option to facilitate trade to Bulls: “My main goal is to stay in the NBA for sure.”
You gave up your player option worth $5.8 million (€5 million) to join Chicago. Many would have chosen the money, even if it meant staying on the bench next season. Why not you? Guerschon Yabusele: It’s love for basketball. Maybe this summer I’ll regret it. Who knows? But that’s how it is. I truly love competition. When you’ve experienced the highest level, when you’ve played games like the ones we had at the Olympics with France, it’s hard to sit on the bench watching others play. How are you approaching the end of the season in Chicago? With the desire to establish yourself there, or with the belief that you’ve shown enough to convince a team to bet on you this summer? Guerschon Yabusele: I hope I’ve done enough here, but I don’t know how the team thinks or what it’s really looking for. I’d really like to come back this summer. I’m going to keep pushing for that, and I’d also like to sign for several years so I can breathe a bit.
NBA players have also raised awareness. Nicolas Batum tweeted: “Elijah Hoard has been missing after being dropped by his father at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Friday. If you have any information, please contact the local authorities.” Guerschon Yabusele added: “Elijah Hoard has been missing since Friday evening in Chicago. He was supposed to catch a flight to France but never boarded. If you have any information, please notify his family or detectives at Area One SVU at 312-747-8380. Thank you“.
It’s rare for a player in Yabusele’s situation to forgo guaranteed money. But if you ask Yabusele about it, he’ll tell you it was an easy decision. “We can always see the side of the money and talk about it, but at the end of the day the passion is more than just the money. It’s being out there, missing the feeling of being out there, offense, defense. Just competing at a high level because I’m a competitor first,” Yabusele said in an interview with SNY. “… The situation with New York was a little bit different for me because I wasn’t really playing, so being able to be on another team and try to bring value on the court was really important. I was just missing being out there on the court, making mistakes, learning from it and trying to get better.”
