Return To TD Garden Offered ‘Special Feeling’ For Ex-Celtics First-Rounder

Guerschon Yabusele, formerly of the Boston Celtics, underwent a five-year hiatus from NBA basketball before the 28-year-old earned a second chance with the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason — a long-awaited return.

Yabusele signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with Philadelphia shortly after wrapping up a silver medal finish with Team France in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The 6-foot-8, 260-pound power forward had a major hand in France’s run, averaging 14 points with 3.3 rebounds to revive a previously-dead stock value. Now, back in an NBA locker room, Yabusele continued preseason preparation with a sentimental stop in Boston for Saturday night’s Celtics-Sixers matchup.

“It’s a special feeling, for sure,” Yabusele told reporters pregame at TD Garden, per CLNS Media. “Especially yesterday when we were driving around the city. Just being able to come back, it was really a special feeling. Coming here to the arena, seeing all the changes. But can’t wait for the environment for tonight, to be able to be with the fans, just enjoy the moment.”

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It had been five years since the last time Yabusele stepped foot on Boston’s parquet. But after the Celtics suffered an Eastern Conference semifinal elimination at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, the organization parted ways with Yabusele. No other organization expressed interest at the time in the 3-and-D role player, limited on both ends of the floor. That left Yabusele no choice but to go overseas to re-tool and polish his game for three years with the Spain giants of the EuroLeague.

Philadelphia could prove to be a picture-perfect fit as Yabusele fights to establish himself as worthy of a roster spot in the NBA for years to come. He scored 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field for the Sixers during their preseason opener against the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL, utilizing his large frame to muscle through smaller defenders with easy, right-below-the-rim feeds. Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse, getting a first-hand look at the Yabusele experience, could find a serviceable role for the Olympic standout as the Sixers fight to find their footing as hopeful East contenders.

“It’s been five years and of course when the summer was coming, I was expecting to get a call,” Yabusele said, per CLNS Media. “But you know it just made me work harder, keep pushing, never give up and every time I was going back to my team I was like, ‘I gotta do more.’ So it was just a long process but I think it was much-needed. I’m a different player now, I understand things more and I just keep on pushing it.”