Sixers Standout Reacts to Playing Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert

Guerschon Yabusele discussed his battle against Rudy Gobert on Saturday.

Apr 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Saturday night served as a reunion for Philadelphia 76ers veteran Guerschon Yabusele and Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Rudy Gobert.

The two forwards might’ve spent plenty of time playing together on the French national team, but Saturday night was a battle as opponents as the Wolves visited the Sixers in South Philly.

“It’s so much fun,” Yabusele told reporters while discussing plying against Gobert.

“I always love to play against my French fellow, to be out there, so it was fun. I’ve been with him on the international team for like four years now. We spend the summer together, so it’s always fun to get out there and compete against him. Especially since they’re a great team, to be able to compete and be with him the whole game, it was fun, and it was a good game for us.”

Apr 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) battles for the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) and forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Heading into Saturday’s game, the two teams are on different pages at this stage of the year. The Timberwolves are working on cracking a top-six seed in the Western Conference to avoid having to go through the NBA Play-In Tournament to make the playoffs.

Yabusele and the Sixers are winding down on their season and will soon pack their bags and watch the postseason go by as spectators, as they were eliminated from playoff contention last week.

While the season is nearly over for Yabusele and the Sixers, every game still matters a lot for the veteran forward. In 37 minutes of action on Saturday, Yabusele scored 19 points on 8-15 shooting from the field. He also had four assists, four rebounds, and three steals. The Sixers came up short with a 114-109 loss.

This year, Yabusele re-entered the NBA after a stint at Real Madrid. Although his NBA career started with the Boston Celtics in 2017, he hasn’t played in the league since 2019 before this year. A standout Olympic run playing alongside stars like Gobert and Victor Wembanyama helped Yabusele get back on the NBA’s radar. The Sixers offered him a one-year deal. Yabusele has taken advantage of the moment.

Leading up to Saturday’s game, Yabusele was posting averages of 11 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from three. He also came down with six rebounds per game while dishing out two assists per outing.

This summer, Yabusele will become a free agent once again. This time around, he’s expected to get plenty of interest on the market. Yabusele is certain to stay in the NBA.

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