Paris 2024: From the Olympics to the NBA, the stars in line for life-changing contracts

With a squad full of NBA stars, and players waiting to be handed their contracts, can France cause a massive upset and defeat America’s ‘Dream Team’ in what promises to be an Olympic final for the ages.

Guerschon Yabusele celebrates France’s Olympic semi final win over Germany. Picture: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

If Victor Wembenyama’s eight-foot wing spin doesn’t get you, the Dancing Bear might just envelop you in his lethal grip.

Welcome to the one of best men’s Olympic basketball final we have seen.

One with a commodity lacking in almost every Olympic final in event decades – a genuine chance of a contest.

After America’s galaxy of stars escaped by the skin of their teeth from 17 points down against Nikola Jokic’s Serbia, the mouth-watering final in store might be even better.

Because rival France not only has the game’s most exciting talent in 20-year-old Victor Wembenyama, they have turned into a brilliant FIBA team matching lights-out shooting with a deep squad.

There was no greater illustration of that depth in their semi-final against Germany as Wembenyama went four for 17 but a EuroLeague star fired in his place.

That man was Guerschon Yabusele, a former Boston Celtics first-round draft pick now being dubbed the Knockout King given his powerful post moves and brilliant Paris play.

His dexterity despite his hulking 123kg frame has seen that apex-predator themed moniker fit snugly as he gets his chance to knock off the world’s best.

The Real Madrid star is playing the role Joel Embiid might have had he not declined to play for France and instead joined Team USA at these Olympics.

Can France beat the star studded USA team and win gold? Picture: Getty Images

Australian fans know Yabusele as the man who body-slammed Australian Dante Exum WWE-style in a Serbian EuroLeague clash, badly injuring the Boomers player.

Kevin Durant’s player ID might have been lacking as he hailed Serbia’s “number 30” for his shot-making abilities _ for the record it was CSKA Moscow’s Aleksa Avramovic.

But after the French beat America in their 2021 Olympics pool game and lost by only five points in the gold medal game, America knows they are totally beatable.

The USA team is full of the NBA’s biggest stars. Picture: AFP

“(It will be) another dogfight. The crowd is going to be against us. This is going to be the most watched game since I have been playing FIBA. I’m excited for the challenge. Tonight was a great test for us. We’ve been in this situation with this lead down so late, so we are prepared for anything,” Durant said.

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“It’s going to be a tough test. They are playing with confidence, they switched their line up. They have put Isaia Cordinier (16 points, seven rebounds in the semi-final) in, he came in and played incredible basketball. We know with ‘Wemby’ he can do it but Yabesele is playing some great ball. This was the loudest crowd I have played in with FIBA so I am looking forward to it.”

France beat Germany by just four points to reach the final. Picture: AFP

Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze has watched almost every FIBA game this fortnight and names Yabusele as among his contenders to leap back into the NBA after putting their name up in lights this tournament.

Yabusele even recognised some of the Celtics beat writers after his match-turning semi-final performance and told them: “You gotta tell (the Celtics) to bring me back.”

In the Bercy Stadium court-side seats on Friday was San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, watching his international star Wembenyama but exactly the kind of coach who would assemble another foreign legion as he did with his Spurs in the mid-90s.

Says Gaze: “Yabusele has been really good. There are a lot of guys who could be playing in the NBA. Matias Lessort (of Greek side Panathinaikos) is the other one from France. His coach said the same thing this week _ I don’t know why he isn’t playing in the NBA.

“On yesterday’s game Avramovic is capable of playing NBA too.”

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Originally published as Paris 2024: From the Olympics to the NBA, the stars in line for life-changing contracts