Dec 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) reacts after being called for a foul against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Knicks Forward, France Fall Victim to EuroBasket Upset

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 12:14 PM ET

Georgia was part of one of the biggest upsets of the weekend, but the Bulldogs were nowhere to be found. A New York Knicks forward, on the other hand, was all too present.

France's men's national basketball team captained by new Knick Guerschon Yabusele fell victim to a weekend of shocking happenings in EuroBasket 2025 play, as Georgia took an 80-70 decision from Les Bleus in Sunday's Round of 16 action in Riga. This upset came less than 24 hours after Finland ousted defending champion Spain and the two sides will now meet in the quarterfinal portion.

Yabusele got off to a strong start by scoring 10 points in the opening period, half of France's opening output as it fell behind 24-20 after one. From there, however, he earned only two the rest of the way as he was flanked by current Orlando Magic rep Goga Bitadze while the French struggled to pick up the scoring slack with Sylvian Francisco, Theo Maledon, and Elie Okobo all struggling from the field.

Goga Bitadze puts the ‼️ on Georgia’s win over France to reach the quarterfinals

Watch all the EuroBasket action live on @courtside1891: https://t.co/fPC0xWqtRn pic.twitter.com/VxMqxAd0ci
— NBA (@NBA) September 7, 2025

Thus ends this French run captained by Yabusele, one of the Knicks' prime signings over the offseason after he returned to NBA action with the Philadelphia 76ers this past year. France had prevailed as the winner of Group D play in Katowice and was the defending runner-up in both EuroBasket and last summer's Olympic Games in Paris. France has now failed to make it out of the Round of 16 twice in the last three EuroBasket tournaments after placing no worth than eighth between 1999 and 2015.

It was nonetheless an efficient tournament for Yabusele, who took on an expanded leadership role while averaging 13.7 points and 4.2 rebounds. Of note, Yabusele helped France secure the group play win with a dominant 36-point showing against then-undefeated Poland, one of the most prolific scoring outputs in the history of Les Bleus.

Kamar Baldwin led the way for the Georgians with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting. New York native and current San Antonio Spur Sandro Mamukelashvili, famous in the metropolitan area for his time at Seton Hall and his breakout off the bench against the Knicks last spring, put up a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Georgia is competing in just its sixth EuroBasket tournament, its previous best finish being an 11th-place showing in its maiden voyage in 2011.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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