LeBron James haters have a new favorite basketball player: power forward Guerschon Yabusele from the French team.
The former Boston Celtics rookie threw down a massive one-handed dunk against James in the first half of the final of the men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Saturday.
The 6-foot-8 Yabusele, now a star at Spain’s Real Madrid, wowed the host nation when he ran to the baseline late in the second quarter and threw a tomahawk dunk on the graying 39-year-old James.
The dunk reduced the favorite’s lead to 40:35 and sparked huge cheers from his teammates. James, on the other hand, found himself in a completely unfamiliar situation when he was sent onto the court.
Of course, James would have the last laugh, as he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player following the U.S. team’s 98-87 victory over France.
LeBron James was on the wrong end of a massive dunk by Guerschon Yabusele
Yabusele’s teammates went wild after his dunk against James, which reduced the USA’s lead to five.
The USA ultimately went into halftime with a 49-41 lead, with James contributing seven points and five assists.
Yabusele, a former first-round NBA draft pick, was selected 16th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2016.
He played two seasons for Boston, but saw limited playing time, before moving to the Nanjing Monkey Kings in China.
Yabusele later joined ASVEL in France before moving to Real Madrid in 2021.
France entered the Games without having previously won a gold medal in Olympic basketball, while the United States was seeking its fifth gold medal in the men’s competition.
