The Real Madrid forward shined bright in the knockout stages
Yabusele showed the world his quality at the Olympics
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4 Mins read
Twenty-four years after the United States’ Vince Carter inflicted "le dunk de la mort" on France’s Frederic Weis at the 2000 Olympic Games, Guerschon Yabusele was able to exact revenge by posterizing one of the best players of all time, LeBron James, during the 2024 Olympic final.
NBA fans watching on from the States will remember Yabusele for his time playing with the Boston Celtics in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, yet they were likely left surprised – and impressed – by the way in which he was able to dominate against the so-called “Avengers”. For Turkish Airlines EuroLeague viewers, though, they already knew what the 28-year-old is capable of.
Yabusele has established himself as one of the finest players in the EuroLeague over the last few years, particularly since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2021. Since landing in the Spanish capital, the French forward has had a key role in guiding the club to three successive Final Four appearances, even if he didn’t play in the 2022 edition due to suspension. So, it was no shock to see him stealing the spotlight in Paris.
Notably, the Real player really took his game to another level in the knockout stages of the Olympics – it wasn’t just in the final where he left his mark. Much of the talk leading into the tournament surrounded Victor Wembanyama and whether he could inspire a France side that had underwhelmed somewhat in its warm-up games. It was Yabusele, however, who rose to the occasion in the win-or-go-home games that ultimately guided the home nation to a silver medal.
In the final, Yabusele finished with 20 points, the third most in the game after Wembanyama with 26 and Stephen Curry with 24. Looking at the knockout fixtures as a whole, which includes the quarterfinal, semifinal and final, Yabusele led France in points with 19.7 points per game. Wembanyama, the talk of the NBA all season long, averaged 14.7 points over those three contests.
Many expected Canada to eliminate France in the quarterfinals, with the North American country able to count on an all-star backcourt of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray. What happened? Yabusele scored 22 points, his highest mark at the 2024 Olympics, and countryman Isaia Cordinier of Virtus Segafredo Bologna erupted for 20 points, which was also his best scoring night in the tournament. France ended up winning 82-73 to set up a semifinal tie with Germany, the team that had beaten Vincent Collet’s men 71-85 in the final group-stage game.
Well, Yabusele again paced France with a team-high 17 points, followed by Cordinier with 16, as the hosts came out with a 73-69 victory to eliminate the 2023 FIBA World Cup champion. Once again, Yabusele had provided more evidence that he is the man for the big occasion.
That was particularly true in the final against the United States. Steve Kerr’s group was full of all-NBA players, including James, Curry and Kevin Durant, among many others, yet Yabusele and – for the first time in the knockout stages – Wembanyama ensured the game went down to the wire. Come the final buzzer, the French duo had combined for 46 of France’s 87 points, with Yabusele netting 20 and Wembanyama 26, but it was the USA that managed to win 87-98.
There were tears and frustration afterward, but Yabusele’s heroics in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final ensured that the France players ended the tournament with a silver medal around their necks. Yabusele was one of six EuroLeague players to feature for France in the Olympic final, and he should receive a hero’s return when he heads to the arenas of Paris Basketball, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and AS Monaco this coming EuroLeague season.
After showing his quality on the world stage at the Olympics, EuroLeague fans will once again get to see Yabusele demonstrate his talent on a week-by-week basis in the 2024-25 campaign. There are just 52 days until Yabusele and Real will be back in action, with Los Blancos – last season's runners-up – travelling to take on FC Bayern Munich at the brand-new SAP Garden in Round 1.