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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
Before finding his way back to the NBA, and even shining on EuroLeague floors, Guerschon Yabusele made a stopover in China. However, the sudden end of his adventure there left him with a rather painful memory.
As an unrestricted free agent this summer, there should be no shortage of suitors on the market. Guerschon Yabusele has shown this season that he has what it takes to play an important role in an NBA franchise. His performances with the 76ers have been outstanding, and he is hoping to capitalize on them to land a handsome contract, which would be a fine reward after a most meandering career.
Guerschon Yabusele’s tough time in China
Before finding his way back to the NBA, Yabusele spent a lot of time on the move, including a stint in China. His brief stint with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, however, put him through a tough ordeal, which he recounts for HoopsHype:
Guerschon Yabusele: I’m gonna be completely honest with you. What really changed my state of mind and my way of playing was what happened right after I left Boston.
I signed a contract in China, things didn’t go well with my team and I had to stop everything and come back to France. It happened just before Covid. I spent a month, maybe a month and a half without a club, without a team. Nothing.
Having disappeared from the basketball scene, the French interior was understandably sorry for himself and turned to fate in an inglorious manner:
Guerschon Yabusele: I hate to say it, but I was on the sidelines, hoping for an injury or for a player to be sent off, just so I could take his place. I never thought I’d ever have to go through something like that. I told myself it was impossible. It wasn’t what I wanted. I was the 16th pick in the NBA draft, so how could I have ended up in a situation like that?
In his place, a good number of players would have given up and possibly started retraining. Guerschon, on the other hand, never stopped believing in his abilities, and eventually saw his efforts pay off. A highly inspiring tale for the younger generation:
Guerschon Yabusele: I got it into my head that I had to prove everyone wrong.
I heard people saying I was a bust and that motivated me. I wanted to show them and myself that I could do it. I spent a month or two training every day, waiting for someone to give me a chance. And in the end, it was ASVEL who gave it to me. I only played five games for them that season, but I gave it my all in those five games (…) And now I’m here.
