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Guerschon Yabusele’s Dunk Over LeBron James at Olympics Immortalized in NBA 2K25

The Team France standout's flush over the King got him immortalized in the league's top videogame.

John Robinson

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Basketball during the 2024 Paris Olympics was nothing short of spectacular. The globe watched the world's best international teams compete for a gold medal.

This year's Olympics was a star-studded event, featuring NBA stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. All told, the Paris Olympics featured a record 81 players who were current or former members of the National Basketball Association.

The United States was able to capture their fifth straight Olympic gold medal in Paris. However, their quest for immortality was not as easy as fans originally expected. The Serbian national team led by Jokic and the French national team featuring basketball prodigy Victor Wembenyama made sure that Team USA would have their work cut out for them.

After a nail-biter with Serbia, Team USA would find themselves in a gold medal game against host country France. The headlines for the game constantly mentioned the matchup between the greatest basketball player of this generation in LeBron James and Wembenyama, who is considered the greatest prospect since Akron's homegrown hero.

Curry's late-game heat check to secure USA the gold was the most impactful moment of their final against France, however, Guerschon Yabusele’s dunk over LeBron James will be cemented in Olympic basketball lore.

Of all the Olympic basketball performances, no one benefited more than power forward Guerschon Yabusele.

In 2016, Yabusele was drafted 16th overall by the 2023-24 NBA champion Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, his time in the NBA was cut short and Yabusele spent most of his career overseas having a stint in China and most recently EuroLeague power Real Madrid. Throughout his five seasons playing in the EuroLeague, Yabusele averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and shot 41.1 percent from the field.

During France's silver medal finish, Yabusele thrived as he averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and shot 51.9 percent from the field. In the gold medal game against the United States, he finished with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting including a posterizer that had the entire world buzzing.

Yabusele's dunk was so iconic it was put into the popular video game NBA 2K. Not only were his efforts recognized but it also led him to him signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Over the course of two months, Yabusele revitalized his career and found himself back in the NBA, where his professional career originally began.

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John Robinson

JOHN ROBINSON

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