A French basketball star talked about his side of leaving the Philadelphia 76ers.
French Star Speaks on Leaving the 76ers originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia 76ers lost a lot of players at the start of NBA free agency. They prioritized building a competitive team around their Big 3 of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. The team also struck gold when they drafted V.J. Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick of the 2025 NBA draft and Johni Broome with the No. 35 pick.
Additional signings and acquisitions for the 76ers include the undrafted rookie, Hunter Sallis, who was signed on a two-way deal. The organization also signed Trendon Watford on a two-year, $5.3 million contract.
Following the moves by the 76ers, the front office couldn't retain Guerschon Yabusele, who joined the New York Knicks this summer. The French basketball star had a bench role for Philly and even appeared in 43 games as a starter.
In a recent interview, Yabusele was open to returning to the 76ers if he was given a reasonable offer. However, he revealed that the deal presented to him was low.
“I didn’t really have any issues over there, like I want to leave,” Yabusele said. “I was like, okay, if they want to resign me and then they give me something good, I will come back. For sure. But they almost didn’t really make, like, an offer. They did, but it was really, really low to be really transparent.”
But he ultimately signed with the Knicks on a two-year, $11.7 million contract. Still, Yabusele was thankful to the 76ers for giving him a chance on an NBA comeback.
“I’m always thankful for them. They gave me my second chance…,” he said. “I will always be thankful to be part of their franchise.”
Guerschon Yabusele opens up on leaving the Sixers and his decision not to stay in Philly
— SKWEEK (@skweektv) July 4, 2025
🇫🇷 Guerschon Yabusele s’exprime sur son départ des Sixers et son choix de ne pas rester à Philadelphie pic.twitter.com/0liYYWtQXO
The 6-foot-8 forward played two seasons for the Boston Celtics from 2017 to 2019. However, no team was interested in him after he was waived by the Celtics and spent the next few seasons of his career playing internationally.
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, he drew attention with how he played for the French national team. Yabusele helped his country win the silver medal. This earned him a chance to return to the NBA after the 76ers signed him to a one-year contract.
Related: 76ers Bring Back Former Sixth Man of the Year on a 1-Year Deal: Report
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
