Frenchman Guerschon Yabusele has found playing time hard to come by in his first season with the New York Knicks, but he isn’t thinking of going back to Europe in search of a bigger role. Yabusele spoke about the benefits of being an NBA player during a conversation with French internet celebrity Just Riadh.
“If you play three years in the NBA, you get a lifetime pension. After four seasons, medical expenses are covered for life,” Yabusele said, via BasketNews.
“And after five years, the medical coverage is extended to the entire family,” Yabusele added. “I want to play for five years here in the NBA so that my family can benefit from that lifetime care. You never know what can happen in life.”
That is indeed a good reason to stick around, but Yabusele later realized that he had gotten the years wrong. He issued a clarification on X.
“Let me correct myself before I get in trouble. After checking, medical expenses are reimbursed for the wife and children after 10 seasons played in the NBA, and after 9 seasons for the player himself. This applies only in the United States.”
There was, of course, the Tony Snell situation in 2024, where he wanted to play a 10th season in the NBA so that his sons with autism could get healthcare benefits, too. So, Yabusele is going to have to stick around for a while for his family. There was a time, though, when it felt like even five years wouldn’t be possible.
The Boston Celtics had selected Yabusele with the 16th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and he signed with the team in 2017. The Frenchman would fail to become an integral part of the Cetlics’ rotation, though. He averaged 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game over his first two seasons in the NBA and was waived by the team in 2019.
Yabusele would then head over to China to revive his career and played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings for a season. He returned to Europe in 2020 and suited up for LDLC ASVEL in France for just over a season.
Yabusele averaged 11.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for ASVEL in 2020-21, and that brought him to the attention of Spanish giants Real Madrid. He had three solid seasons with Madrid, winning the EuroLeague in 2023, but it was at the 2024 Paris Olympics that he showed he deserved another shot in the NBA.
After a couple of quiet games for France in the group stage, Yabusele scored 22 points in a win against Canada in the quarterfinals. He followed that up by scoring 17 against Germany in the semifinals to help set up a titanic showdown with Team USA in the final.
Yabusele finished with 20 points on the big stage, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 98-87 loss at the hands of the U.S. While that was disappointing, it became clear then that he could help some NBA teams.
Not long after the Olympics, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Yabusele to a one-year, $2.1 million deal. He would exceed expectations in his return to the NBA, averaging 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the 76ers in 2024-25.
Yabusele certainly managed to impress the Knicks with his play, as they gave him a two-year, $11.3 million deal this past offseason. He is now in his fourth NBA season, and considering he has a player option for 2026-27, he should be able to play a fifth one.
Signing Yabusele hasn’t worked out for the Knicks, though. The 30-year-old is averaging 3.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2025-26, while shooting 40.7% from the field. They might trade him away before the Feb. 5 deadline.
We’ll see Yabusele in action next when the Knicks take on the Los Angeles Clippers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.
