NEW YORK — The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks on Friday was a chance for the Sixers to see a familiar face in the form of Guerschon Yabusele. The man they call The Dancing Bear played one productive season in Philadelphia before heading to the Knicks in free agency.
Yabusele averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds along with 2.1 assists and shot 38% from deep with the Sixers in the 2024-25 season. He’s had a tough time really getting going with the Knicks, but his time with the Sixers was a season he won’t forget.
“Just having a great time with those guys, man,” Yabusele when asked his big takeaway from his time in Philadelphia. “We shared lots of time together on and off the court. Just a bunch of great guys, you know? Always happy to be around them. It’s always hard to just pick one. We had a lot of great moments on the court, especially, at Philly, but it’s just so hard to pick one moment. I had a good time there.”
While Yabusele is focused on what he has to do with the Knicks, he is keeping in touch with his former Sixers teammates and keeping up with what they are doing on the floor.
“We try and I follow what they’re doing, too,” he explained. “We send each other a couple of texts checking up on each other and stuff like that, and of course, when I see them on the court, it’s always a great time seeing them.”
While keeping up with the Sixers, one has to wonder if Yabusele has been able to see what Tyrese Maxey has been doing on the floor. Maxey has put himself squarely in some MVP conversations with his stellar play and he has put on a show on a nightly basis.
“I feel like it’s hard not to hear what he’s doing!” Yabusele laughed. “Because it’s everywhere and he’s having a great start of the season. He’s working hard. Even for us last year when I was there, he was bringing that energy every night going out there, scoring, and it’s just great to see him evolve and get better year after year.”
At the end of the day, Yabusele was out of the league for five seasons before the Sixers brought him back from overseas. His time in Philadelphia opened up his opportunity with the Knicks. He is grateful for his time with the Sixers.
“Pretty much amazing,” Yabusele finished. “That’s what got me here, you know? I was pretty happy about the season. Just try to work and play hard every night. I just tried to show everybody what I was able to do and I’m here today and I’m happy about everything.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Knicks’ Guerschon Yabusele talks time with 76ers, praises Tyrese Maxey
