"He was talking s**t before" - 76ers' Guerschon Yabusele reflects on reliving NBA dream following iconic dunk on LeBron James

One of the highlights of the 2024 Paris Olympics was when Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele unexpectedly posterized LeBron James during the gold medal game. Surprisingly, there's a lot behind the dunk as the French forward shared that there was history behind him and the LA Lakers star.

Team USA made it to the final round of the Olympics. With a roster that included James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, nothing seemed impossible for the Americans. Their journey to the final game against France was epic, and many paid close attention as they captured the gold.

During the final round, the game was mostly controlled by Team USA, which won 98-87 on Aug. 10. However, France got energized as Yabusele made a successful dunk on James. The dunk happened with more than two minutes left in the second quarter, which gave the home crowd energy going into halftime.

Months after the dunk happened, the Sixers forward told the story behind the dunk that was heard around the world.

​

"I’m not going to lie. It was good at that moment," Yabusele said. "I wasn’t realizing that it was going to be that big. I’ve been telling guys that I have done a couple of poster (dunks) in my life and some good ones, too.

"But to dunk on LeBron with all the people there, especially in the final Olympic, the whole world watching me, I didn’t realize how big it was at the time. He blocked me a couple plays before. He was talking s*** before, of course. But it was LeBron. Either you dunk it, or he blocks it."

Yabusele got his revenge on James with the poster dunk. However, the four-time MVP got the last laugh as Team USA beat France to win the gold medal.

---

Yabusele's outstanding Olympic run earned him a contract from the 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers aren't the first NBA team that Yabusele has played for. During the 2017-18 season, the forward played for the Boston Celtics, primarily coming off the bench. The French star played for the team for another season, before joining the Chinese Basketball Association in 2019.

This time, however, he's back in the league following his breakout year with the French national basketball team. On Aug. 29, Philly signed him to a one-year, $2.1 million deal.

​

He finished strong for France as its second-best scorer. Yabusele averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists. His best game during the tournament came against Canada during the quarterfinals. The forward finished with 22 points and five rebounds, while he shot 50% from beyond the arc.

​