The international EuroBasket tournament features some big names in the NBA, including New York Knicks backup forward Guerschon Yabusele and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.
Knicks’ Guerschon Yabusele’s France team at center of controversy
Yabusele’s France team and Doncic’s Slovenia team faced off on Saturday, where France defeated Slovenia 103-95. Towards the end of the contest, Doncic shook hands with France guard Sylvain Francisco with time winding down, assuming that they were going to dribble out the play clock.
However, as Doncic turned away, Francisco dashed towards the basket for a layup in the final seconds, much to the displeasure of Doncic and the Slovenian bench. Point differential matters in Eurobasket results, but that didn’t prevent the late basket from becoming the center of controversy.
Doncic said after the game that the layup by Francisco wasn’t necessary.
“At the end we shook hands,” he said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “The point difference can be important, but we shook hands. I didn’t think he’d go and score again.”
Yabusele, however, felt differently about it, stating that the point differential matters the most in the tournament.
“Every basket counts. Luka’s mistake of wanting to shake hands when it should be up to the offense,” Yabusele said.
Yabusele and Doncic are prominent figures of EuroBasket tournament
The two players are among the most prominent figures participating in the EuroBasket tournament. Yabusele was named the captain of Team France before the tournament and is looking to continue improving his game ahead of the NBA regular season.
Yabusele signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Knicks earlier this offseason. He spent last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field and 38% from three-point range.
The Knicks and Lakers face off twice in the upcoming regular season, with their first meeting being Feb. 1 at Madison Square Garden.