Guerschon Yabusele opens up on why he left Sixers to join Knicks
One would have expected that he would return to Philadelphia, but instead, he signed a 2-year $12 million deal with the Knicks in free agency. The Sixers now must find a way to replace his production on the frontline and find a player who can play multiple positions the way Yabusele did.
In an interview with SKWEEK, Yabusele explained why he left the Sixers and signed with the Knicks:
Leaving Philly was not a major key. I was thinking to myself, 'Oh my God', like, 'I could go back'. You know? I didn't really have any issues over there, like, I wanna leave, you know? I was like 'OK, if they wanna re-sign me and then, they give me something good, I will come back, for sure'. And if they want me to leave, then I will leave. I didn't have any hard feelings or hard times, you know? But they almost didn't make really, like, an offer. It was really, really low to be really transparent, so, I felt like 'Oh, my God. You guys, it seems like you guys don't really want me to stay' kinda so it was a situation, but no hard feelings, you know? I'm always thankful for them. They gave me a second chance, you know? It's everything goes from them. I will always be thankful. To be able to be part of their franchise and play the season, you know?
Yabusele had himself a terrific season with the Sixers when considering everything they asked of him. He had to play out of position at the center spot when he is more so a power forward and he did it without any complaints. The Dancing Bear will now look to help the Knicks get over the hump in the Eastern Conference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Knicks Given Massive Prediction on Playoff Future
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After suffering through some 20 years of ineptitude, the New York Knicks have been gradually building a winning team over the last few years. Now, they seem to have a clear opportunity to do something special this coming season. With Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum out for the season due to a torn Achilles (one he suffered versus the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs) and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton also out for the year because of a similar injury, the field in the Eastern Conference is almost wide open for the Knicks. The Cleveland Cavaliers remain in the way, but New York seems to be clearly better than the rest of the pack right now. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report just gave the over/under for wins and predicted win totals for all 30 NBA teams in a recent article. The Knicks' over/under is at 53.5 wins, and the only East team with a higher figure is the Cavaliers. Overall, only three NBA teams were given a higher over/under than New York in this piece. "Every member of the New York Knicks lineup that led (by a massive margin) the league in total minutes last season (Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns) is back," Bailey wrote. "That alone should have Knicks fans encouraged about the possibility of a second straight 50-win season, but that's not all. "New York also added Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson to a bench that includes Mitchell Robinson. That should lead to meaningful improvement over last season's second unit." Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge... Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. More Photo byRead more: ESPN Personality Calls Out Knicks Star Karl-Anthony Towns Last season, New York went 51-31, but Bailey picked the team to once again win 51 regular-season games. However, his reasons for that prediction aren't necessarily negative. "So, why are the Knicks predicted to finish below their over-under this season? "Well, think back to caveat in the intro. There are only so many wins to go around, and being higher than consensus on one team might mean shaving a win or two off other teams. "That and what feels like a small likelihood of New York being as healthy as it was last season made the Knicks one of the victims of the finite leaguewide win total." As Bailey pointed out, the Knicks have a somewhat deeper bench for this season. Clarkson isn't an efficient shooter, but he did average 16.2 points a game last season, which was around his career average in scoring. Yabusele, a wide-bodied 6-foot-8 29-year-old who can play the 4 and 5 spots, put up 11.0 points on 50.1% from the field and 38% from 3-point range, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes a game. Backup guard Miles McBride, who has been a spark plug over the last couple of years, remains on the roster. Read more: Former NBA Star Throws Shade at Rockets' Kevin Durant The onus seems to be on All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns to raise his game. While he was at 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game last season, many are disappointed with his lack of defense, both around the rim and on the perimeter. The Knicks have a new head coach in Mike Brown, who has always been known as a defensive mastermind but has also kept up with the NBA's offensive evolution in recent years. All eyes across the Tri-State area will also be on him as the team attempts to win its first world championship since 1973. For more on the Knicks and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Every player in Philadelphia 76ers history who has worn the No. 35
It's summertime in the NBA, so it's time to learn some history. The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the older franchises in the NBA. Their history dates to the 1949-50 season. With that longevity, the team has had hundreds of players come through the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers Wire looks at the No. 35 which has been worn by 16 of those players in the history of the franchise. This running series will go through all of the uniform numbers worn in franchise history. Here is the list of the 16 players who have worn No. 35 in Sixers history: Bill Gabor This goes back to the franchise's Syracuse Nationals days, but Gabor only wore No. 35 during the 1949-50 season. He switched to No. 7 the following season. He made an All-Star game and averaged 9.8 points in his career with the team. Art Heyman Heyman only played six games for the Sixers in his career and averaged 1.7 points and 0.7 rebounds during his time in Philadelphia. Bob Weiss Weiss, known mostly for his coaching career, played two seasons for Philadelphia. He wore No. 35 in the 1965-66 season before switching to No. 12 the following season. He played in 13 games and averaged 1.4 points and 1.1 assists. Barry Yates Yates played in just 24 games for his entire NBA career, all with the Sixers, and he averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds while wearing the No. 35. Dave Sorenson Sorenson, playing for Ohio State from his college days in the above photo, averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 48 games for the Sixers in the 1972-73 season. Armen Gilliam Gilliam played in 211 games with 157 starts across three seasons with the Sixers, and he averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds. He was a very productive player for them. Clarence Weatherspoon Weatherspoon wore No. 30 in his rookie season before switching to No. 35. He averaged 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in 488 games with the Sixers before being moved to the Golden State Warriors. Art Long Long played in 19 games for the Sixers in the 2002-03 season and he averaged 2.1 points and 2.1 rebounds. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets. Deng Gai Gai played in two games with Philadelphia, and he did not record a stat across five minutes played. Henry Sims Sims was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle of The Process era, and he played in 99 games with 57 starts. He averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 47.9% for Philadelphia. Christian Wood Before he made strides in the NBA, Wood was a member of the Sixers. He played in only 17 games before he was waived. He had issues with then-coach Brett Brown who did not give him the proper playing time. Trevor Booker Booker was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in the Jahlil Okafor deal, and he averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds across 33 games. He was a player who did the dirty work for Philadelphia. Marial Shayok Shayok played four games for the Sixers in the 2019-20 season, and he averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds. He spent the majority of his rookie season in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats before heading overseas. Michael Foster Jr. Foster played in exactly one game for the Sixers in the 2022-23 season and didn't record a stat in the one minute he played. Kenneth Lofton Jr. Lofton played two games for the Sixers in the 2023-24 season and averaged 1.0 points and 1.5 rebounds. Marcus Bagley With the 2024-25 Sixers so banged up, Bagley got an opportunity to play. In 10 games with Philadelphia--including four starts--he averaged 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicago plays New York, looks to end road skid
Chicago Sky (8-26, 2-14 Eastern Conference) at New York Liberty (22-13, 11-3 Eastern Conference) New York; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Chicago Sky will attempt to break its six-game road slide when the Sky take on New York Liberty. The Liberty have gone 11-3 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference with 6.8 offensive rebounds per game led by Nyara Sabally averaging 1.7. The Sky are 2-14 in Eastern Conference play. Chicago ranks third in the WNBA with 35.7 rebounds per game led by Angel Reese averaging 12.3. New York scores 86.4 points per game, 0.1 more points than the 86.3 Chicago gives up. Chicago has shot at a 41.9% clip from the field this season, 0.1 percentage points below the 42.0% shooting opponents of New York have averaged. The two teams match up for the third time this season. The Liberty defeated the Sky 85-66 in their last meeting on June 11. Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 23 points, and Reese led the Sky with 17 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Ionescu is shooting 39.9% and averaging 19.1 points for the Liberty. Jonquel Jones is averaging 15.8 points over the last 10 games. Reese is averaging 14.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Sky. Rachel Banham is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Liberty: 5-5, averaging 83.3 points, 32.8 rebounds, 22.4 assists, 6.3 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.3 points per game. Sky: 1-9, averaging 71.9 points, 34.0 rebounds, 20.0 assists, 4.7 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.9 points. INJURIES: Liberty: Breanna Stewart: out (leg), Nyara Sabally: out (knee). Sky: Courtney Vandersloot: out for season (acl). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
