On Sunday night in Athens, the OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall — now branded as the Telekom Center — will be loud, sweaty, and unmistakably Greek.
At 19:00 CET, France will step onto the floor against hosts Greece in their final tune-up before EuroBasket 2025 tips off.
Les Bleus come in undefeated through four friendlies, including a morale-boosting double over reigning champions Spain. At the center of it all: Guerschon Yabusele.
“How does it feel to be back at OAKA?” BasketNews asked the 29-year-old forward. “Pretty good, they have a new gym, looks amazing, I like the court, it's a little bit different, so can't wait to play here.”
The former Real Madrid player, now a New York Knick, wears the 'C' for France — a captain not just in name but in vibe. Yabusele may be all about muscle and hustle, but when he talks about the national team, the words sound more like summer camp than boot camp.
Brotherhood in blue
Asked to explain his famous description of France camp as a “summer camp with friends,” Yabusele leaned into the metaphor.
“I mean, pretty good, we still have a new team with a new generation, so obviously everybody's role is going to be a little different from our previous campaign.
But the fact that we know each other, it's better to talk on the court if something needs to be said. We're not going to take it the wrong way because we know each other and we know that we try to make everybody better and we try to play together and achieve something special.”
Yabusele is less about hierarchy, more about harmony. The French locker room has lived through the Tony Parker era, the Rudy Gobert–Evan Fournier backbone, and now, a younger generation headlined by Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly.
France / Schedule
For Yabusele, his captaincy isn’t about dictating orders. "We have a special group of guys," he assured.
"When we're on the court, you can feel the energy, you can feel the energy on the bench, on the court, everywhere. My role is not to be the chief and act like I want you to do this and do that," he clarified.
Credit FIBA
"I'm just trying to translate whatever the coach want us to be doing. And at the end of the day, I'm just trying to stay positive. I want everybody to be positive, to bring the good energy and get ready to win.”
When pressed on whether he leads by example or by voice, he didn’t pick a lane:
“I would say both, because everybody on the team can talk. The last game we have against Spain, we went in the locker room at halftime when we were down and everybody talked.
Everybody had something good to say, everybody had something positive to say to the team. So, everybody can be vocal on the team.”
The elusive gold
France were EuroBasket 2022 runners-up and Olympic silver medalists in 2021 and 2024.
Yabusele is clear about what’s missing. For him, there's no real dilemma between winning gold and lifting an NBA title. You can tell where his heart leans. An NBA ring would be shiny. A EuroBasket or Olympic gold? That would be sacred.
“A gold medal with France would be special," he promtly responded.
"I've been playing with the team for years, and every time we get silver. So I think gold would be the next goal for us," he added.
"But, of course, winning an NBA championship is also something special. I've never been part of something like that. Both would feel great.”
The long road back
For Yabusele, just being the captain of France and a signed Knick is already a victory.
After his first NBA stint with Boston (2027-19) ended, many doubted tht he'd get another opportunity in the league.
“I knew it was going to get hard, it took me five years to go back," he reflected.
"So, I can tell you how long it is, five years I've been working hard. I was trying to progress on my game and on my shoot, everything that touched basketball.
But I knew it was going to be hard. I don't want to say impossible because that's what keeps me motivated every day. I knew there was a chance for me."
Those five years included dominating at ASVEL, reinventing himself at Real Madrid, and lifting the EuroLeague trophy in 2023.
The broad-shouldered French forward was once the 'Dancing Bear' of the Boston Celtics, a first-round pick in 2016 who fizzled out of the NBA by 2019 and seemed destined to become one of those cautionary tales about lost potential.
Then came the breakout moment: the Paris Olympics, where Yabusele averaged 14 points, outmuscled NBA stars, and even dunked on LeBron James—an instant meme and a loud message to scouts. That performance lit the fuse.
The offer from the Philadelphia 76ers came. Yabusele had one year left on his Real Madrid contract with a steep €2.5 million buyout. NBA rules meant teams could only cover $850,000 of that, leaving Yabusele to pay the remaining $1.65 million out of pocket.
For a player who had earned modestly in Europe, it was no small risk. But he did it anyway. He even tweeted before signing with Philly: “Been waiting for a 2nd chance… I’m ready.”
“You know, that was my goal…Even though I was with one of the best franchise in the NBA, I really didn't get the chance for myself to prove myself," Yabusele argued.
"As a young kid, going to the NBA was a dream. So, I wanted to go back and make sure I had a chance to explore and play.”
The Sixers gave him a one-year, $2.1 million deal in 2024. By the time he re-entered the NBA with Philadelphia, his game had been retooled from the ground up.
“I just changed everything about my game: the way I think when I'm on the court, what I can bring to the bench, basketball IQ, passing skills, shooting skills - pretty much everything," he explained.
"I knew that if I were good at all of these things, I was going to be back."
If there's one thing Yabusele takes special pride in it's his improved shooting skills. While in Europe, he never finished a single EuroLeague season below 38.4% from 3-point range. But in his 2024-25 campaign with the Sixers, he went 38% from distance - a clear upgrade from the 32.2% that he showcased in his first two NBA seasons.
"Definitely, I feel more comfortable when I'm with the ball," he admitted. "Even when reading the situation, I feel like everything just clicks and comes easier.”
Sixers coach Nick Nurse even said he exceeded expectations. Now, the Knicks have locked him in longer-term: two years, $12 million, plus a player option.
But Yabusele has his own theory about which elements of his game have taken the NBA by surprise.
“I would say, first of all, the energy. People love the energy that I bring on the court, 'dying' for the ball, diving for the ball. Just fight through it for 48 minutes. It doesn't matter who win or lose, just keep the same motivation and make people enjoy the game.”
A Knick at heart
Now, Yabusele is a New Yorker.
The 2024–25 New York Knicks enjoyed their best campaign in decades, finishing 51–31 and advancing to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. After beating Detroit and dethroning Boston, New York fell to Indiana in six games, ending a historic season.
The Knicks’ gritty, no-frills basketball matches the Frenchman's identity.
“First of all, dying for the ball. You can tell that they have a special bonding between each other," he stressed.
"When they go on the court together, it's like they try to kill the other team. They know each other pretty well. They made it so far this year in the playoffs, but year after year, you can just see their progress.
So, for me, it was just natural, because I wanted to be part of this. It's one of the toughest crowds, people know it. So, to be able to go there and be part of this is just something special.”
European fans, he admits, are still a breed apart — but Madison Square Garden is as close as the NBA gets.
"I would say European fans are a little bit different. We are in one of the gyms (OAKA) where the fans go crazy. So, Europe is a little bit different, but New York definitely have a tough crowd," he pointed out.
As for his role? Yabusele knows that his typical duties involve giving heaps of energy and fighting for every possession.
"When I'm open, shoot, make the shot, get a couple of dunks," he added. "Just get a good feeling, try to be everywhere and help the team win something.”
Still watching Madrid
Even as he embraces the Knicks, Yabusele hasn’t turned his back on Europe. He keeps tabs on Real Madrid, praises the EuroLeague’s growth, and beams about former teammate Theo Maledon joining Los Blancos.
“I've given him a piece of advice,” Yabu said with a grin.
Would he ever come back to the Old Continent?
“I just returned to the NBA," he replied.
"I've just played one year and I'll be there for two more years. So, I'm just trying to see what's the option over there. I want to stay in the league as long as possible… You never know.”
France wants gold, New York wants grit, and Yabusele just wants the ball in his hands. Whether you call him Yabusele or Yabu, he’ll answer the same way: with energy, with fight, and probably with a dunk.
Giorgos Kyriakidis
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