The weekend is here! Buckle up for some BIG TIME slates of football, the start of the NLCS, more preseason basketball, and the story of Guerschon Yabusele. One of the more inspiring stories in the NBA. You may not know him now but you will after reading our Stump Story! Enjoy the weekend!
Today’s Trivia🧠
The College Football Playoff began in 2014, what two teams faced off in the first CFP National Championship Game?
(answer at the bottom of the Stump!)
On This Day…
🏀 On this day in 1979, a couple MAJOR basketball moments!
Larry Bird made his debut for the Boston Celtics
In that same game, Boston Celtics guard Chris Ford scored the first ever 3-point basket in NBA history
Magic Johnson made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers
October 12th, 1979. It’s safe to say that the game of basketball was never the same after that day.
Today’s Featured Story…
🏀 A Second Chance: Guerschon Yabusele
The Boston Celtics, Nanjing Monkey Kings, ASVEL, Real Madrid, and the 76ers. That has been the career path for Guerschon Yabusele. Let’s take a look at his inspiring journey that has led him back to the NBA!
The Olympics are a big stage that looks for stars to shine. This year in Basketball, all eyes were on Team USA I’d like to focus on a star on the French National Team.
A man by the name of Guerschon Yabusele. If you watched the tournament you’re familiar with Yabusele. He was a consistent enforcer throughout the entire tournament and along with Wemby was the only other reason that France stood a chance in the Gold Medal game.
After his performance a couple of months ago, he has RE-EARNED his way back into the NBA by way of a 1/yr contract with the Philidelphia 76ers. He teams up with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey in what could be a serious contender in the East!
Here is Yabusele’s path to here (keep track of how many of these team names you know):
In 2013 he played for the French team Chorale Roanne on their Under-21 team (18 years old)
In 2016 he took his talents to the Shanghai Sharks in China to play more professional basketball before giving the NBA a shot (yes the Shanghai Sharks are a real team and not just a meme)
In 2017 he got drafted by the Boston Celtics with 17th pick in the draft and spent the season with their G-League team the Maine Red Claws
From 2017-2019 he was very sparingly used for the Celtics before eventually being cut by the team
In 2020 he was back in China and played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings (might be on the Mount Rushmore of team names)
From late 2020 to 2021 he found himself back in his home country with the French club ASVEL
He finally found a home in Euro League with Real Madrid from 2021-2024
Signed a 1/yr contract worth $2.1M with the 76ers
This past week in a preseason game he scored 15 points in 16 minutes, and shot 100% from the field.
The point of this story is perseverance. The guy just has not quit. He kept fighting, kept moving, kept playing, and after a great showing in the Olympics, he earned himself another shot in the NBA.
I don’t know about you but that fires me up on a Saturday morning! A guy you can’t help but root for! A name hopefully we all know soon, Guerschon Yabusele!
Yesterday, In a Nutshell
⚾ NLDS GAME 5: Dodgers defeat Padres, 2-0, to advance to the NLCS! Yamamoto pitches 5 scoreless innings. Bullpen adds on 4 more! Game 1 of the NLCS against the Mets will be on Sunday!
🏀Philly P (Paul George) has a great preseason debut with his new team. 23 points for the Sixers in a loss to the Timberwolves. The Timbs leading scorer you might ask? Stupid question! Stump LEGEND NAZ REID! (19)
🏈 UNLV puts up 50 against Utah State in a 50-34 win! No Sluka No Problem for UNLV! Move to 5-1!
🏒 Hockey is SO back! Lightning def. Hurricanes, 4-1; Flyers def. Canucks in a SHOOTOUT; Knights over Blues, 4-3!
💯Top Performers:
🏒 Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) - HAT TRICK + 1 assist!
⚾ Kike Hernandez & Teoscar Hernandez for their SOLO HOMERS in 2-0 win over Padres!
🏈 UNLV Rushing Attack! Combined for 310 yards in win over Utah State!
🏀 Cade Cunningham (DET) - 25 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists! Breakout year incoming??
Stump Top Plays❗❗
Today’s Slate
*All times are ET*
⚾ Divisional Series GAME 5: Guardians vs. Tigers (1:08 PM on TBS)
🏀 NBA Preseason: 76ers @ Celtics (8:00 PM), Grizz @ Bulls (8:00 PM), Jazz @ Spurs (8:00 PM)
🏒 NHL on ESPN+: Kings @ Bruins (1:00 PM), Panthers @ Sabres (7:00 PM), Utah @ Rangers (7:00 PM), Devils @ Caps (7:00 PM), Ducks @ Sharks (10:00 PM), full schedule
🏈 NCAAF Big Matchups: (1) Texas @ (18) Oklahoma (3:30 PM on ABC), (4) Penn State @ USC (3:30 PM on CBS), Cal @ (22) Pitt (3:30 PM on ESPN), (2) Ohio State @ (3) Oregon (7:30 on NBC), (9) Ole Miss @ (13) LSU (7:30 on ABC), (18) Kansas State @ Colorado
⚽ UEFA Nations League: Croatia vs Scotland (12:00 PM), Poland vs Portugal (2:45 PM), Serbia vs Switzerland (2:45 PM), Spain vs Denmark (2:45 PM)
🎙Song OTD🎙
The Show Goes On
Lupe Fiasco
One of the songs and bands that I forget about until this absolute banger comes on the aux.
🗣 Quote OTD🗣
“You can learn more character on the two yard line that anywhere else in life.”
Paul Dietzel
Former head ball coach at LSU, this is a great quote. Mostly, because it’s true. The two yard line brings adversity, you have to bring grit, determination, and strength to the table to power through into the endzone. Beautiful.
❗Glue Guy OTD❗
Land Line Phone
In Home of Glue Guy
The staple in the family home. Not often do you get a call worth value on that thing, but when you do, it’s gritty. Glue guys have one of these things laying around.
Trivia Answer:
D. Ohio State vs. Oregon. This is relevant because the two teams square off today in Eugene, Ohio State is ranked #2 and Oregon is ranked #3. In the first CFP National Championship game Ohio State defeated the Oregon Ducks 42-20.
Can’t thank you enough for sticking to the end of this thing we call The Daily Stump. If you know anybody who might want this bit of daily sports news in their life, send them this link! It would go a long way! Appreciate the hell out of you all!
Trees get chopped. Stumps hold strong!
