Mar 24, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Lester Quinones (22) talks with Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) after the game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Sixers Veteran Earns NBA ‘All-Surprise Team’ Mention

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 5:21 PM ET

With a disappointing 2024-2025 season ending soon, the Philadelphia 76ers don’t anticipate having any award winners this time around. When the All-NBA teams are released, the Sixers will certainly come up empty-handed.

However, The Athletic awards Sixers veteran Guerschon Yabusele with a mention on their 2024-2025 NBA All-Surprise team.

“Yabusele’s is the classic surprise story,” Fred Katz wrote. … “Most of the Sixers’ season has gone awry, but Yabusele is one of their few bright spots. He’s now a proven rotation player, capable of playing power forward or center and knocking down 3s. Someone, possibly Philadelphia, will hand him a raise this summer.”

An Olympic run in France helped Yabusele get back on the NBA’s radar. As the Sixers tuned in for a gold medal game between Joel Embiid’s Team USA and Yabusele’s France, the organization was impressed with the forward’s growth.

Back in 2017, Yabusele was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick. He appeared in 74 games across two years, averaging just seven minutes of playing time. The Celtics clearly didn’t believe in Yabusele’s long-term growth, allowing him to hit the waiver wire in July of 2019.

With Yabusele going unclaimed, he ended up taking his talents beyond the NBA once again. After runs in China and France, Yabusele ened up in Spain with Real Madrid. He was in the midst of his three-year deal when he reached a buyout with plans to take a one-year deal to stay with the Sixers.

Although the Sixers have been one of the NBA’s most disappointing clubs this year, Yabusele’s story has been something worth rooting for. No longer the best-kept secret in Philadelphia, Yabusele is certain to receive some notable interest on the open market in July.

In 67 games with the Sixers, Yabusele has averaged 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game. He shot from the field at a 50 percent clip and knocked down 39 percent of his threes on 3.9 attempts per game.

Yabusele’s “All-Surprise” mention is second-team, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart, Memphis’ Jaylen Wells, Boston’s Payton Pritchard, and Chicago’s Josh Giddey. The first-team is taken up by LA’s Ivica Zubac, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Oklahoma City’s Aaron Wiggins, and Cleveland’s Ty Jerome.