Tag: Charles Bassey

What the San Antonio Spurs are getting by re-signing Charles Bassey

The Spurs believe in his potential, and brought him back to play on a new contract for the 2024-25 NBA season.

San Antonio Spurs backup big man Charles Bassey has a basketball origin story you usually only see in the movies. Found in his native Nigeria literally on the side of the road selling food to make a living while standing 6-foot-10 as a 14-year-old, Bassey was discovered and shuttled in the direction of an NBA prospect, grinding his way into the league.

But he has not had a smooth path to get there, and injuries piling up for the Lagos native could have ended that effort. But the Spurs believe in his potential, and brought him back to play on a new contract for the 2024-25 NBA season.

What does he need to work on? What can he bring to the team now? The folks behind the San Antonio Spurs official YouTube channel put together a video showing his best play with San Antonio last season. Take a look at the clip embedded below to see it for yourself!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

On the San Antonio Spurs bringing back Sandro Mamukelashvili, Charles Bassey

The San Antonio Spurs have evidently elected to bring back a pair of familiar faces.

The San Antonio Spurs have evidently elected to bring back a pair of familiar faces from the Spurs’ 2023-24 frontcourt rotation in free agency this week, according to recent reporting from the Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Per Charania, the “San Antonio Spurs are re-signing center Charles Bassey to a fully guaranteed one-year, $2.2 million contract.”

He adds that “Bassey was waived last week with multiple non-guaranteed years on his deal – but now gets a new guaranteed deal and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. The reserve big man is expected to return from ACL injury in first half of next season.”

Additionally, per Woj, San Antonio is also bringing back big man Sandro Mamukelashvili “on a one-year, $2.2 million deal.” The folks behind the “TSR Sports” YouTube channel recently took a closer look at the deals.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Spurs bring back young big men Charles Bassey, Sandro Mamukelashvili

The San Antonio Spurs will bring back young big men Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

The San Antonio Spurs are continuing to build their roster for the 2024-25 season. They were able to make some solid moves thus far with the additions of veterans Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes and now will bring back a couple of young big men.

Charles Bassey, picked up before the 2022-23 season after a season with the Philadelphia 76ers, played 19 games in the 2023-24 season and averaged 3.3 points and 4.0 rebounds along with 0.9 blocks before his season ended due to a torn ACL in December.

The Spurs initially waived Bassey due to his non-guaranteed contract, but they will now bring him back on a 2-year $2.2 million deal.

Along with bringing back Bassey, the Spurs will bring back Sandro Mamukelashvili on a 1-year $2.2 million deal. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 46 games in his first full season in San Antonio. He was acquired after he was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023.

The Spurs will now look ahead to the future and continue to grow as a team around superstar Victor Wembanyama.

[lawrence-related id=3894,3891,3887]

What will the San Antonio Spurs be like without Mamu, Cedi Osman, or Charles Bassey?

With any new arrival of traded players, a team’s front office brings on with an eye for improving a team comes the departure of others.

With any new arrival of traded players, a team’s front office brings on with an eye for improving a team comes the departure of others. And that seems to be the case with the San Antonio Spurs after the team drafted a trio of prospects in the 2024 NBA draft.

It was also the case when the Spurs traded for Sacramento Kings veteran forward Harrison Barnes, and signed Golden State Warriors vet floor general Chris Paul. Now, the team appears poised to part ways with players like Sandro Mamukelashvili, Cedi Osman, and Charles Bassey to help make room for the new arrivals.

And not every Spurs fan is happy about this change, as key as it might be for building a contending roster around Spurs star forward Victor Wembanyama.

The folks behind the “TSR Sports” YouTube channel took a closer look at the turnover on a recent episode. Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Report: Spurs big man Charles Bassey tears his ACL in G League

San Antonio Spurs big man Charles Bassey tore his ACL on Sunday while playing in the G League for the Austin Spurs.

According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, San Antonio Spurs big man Charles Bassey tore his ACL while playing with the Austin Spurs in the G League on Sunday. Bassey has split his time between the G League and the NBA for the majority of the season but will now miss the remainder of the year.

In 19 games with the Spurs (NBA), Bassey played 11.4 minutes per contest. He averaged 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 72.5% from the field. He was playing backup center minutes behind Zach Collins this year alongside Sandro Mamukelashvili, but now, opportunities could arise for others to take on that role.

Bassey is under contract for two more years after this one with the Spurs, but neither of his next two seasons are non-guaranteed.

The 23-year-old center was a nice big-bodied presence next to Victor Wembanyama, as the Spurs prefer to play the rookie sensation at the power forward position.

It seems unlikely that the Spurs bring anyone else in to fill Bassey’s spot, as he signed a four-year with the team not too long ago, and they seem to like him as a piece on their roster.

Instead, expect guys like Mamukelashvili and Dominick Barlow to step into bigger roles behind Collins, who has been solid for the Spurs at the center spot this summer.

Bassey will now begin the rehabilitation process, likely in hopes of making his return to action by next season.

Meanwhile, the Spurs will now have to deal with his injury amid their 17-game losing streak.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Top 3 performers from San Antonio Spurs loss to Indiana Pacers

Here are the top three statistical performers from the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Indiana Pacers.

As is the case with most young teams, there are going to be some nights where everything falls short. For the San Antonio Spurs, that was Monday night. They dropped their game against the Indiana Pacers, getting absolutely blasted by a score of 152-111. Fresh off two straight wins over the Phoenix Suns and a close loss to the Toronto Raptors, they were completely outmatched.

The Pacers’ offense has the ability to fill things up, but the Spurs’ defense needs to be better. And considering how young the team is, they will undoubtedly take this game as a learning opportunity moving forward.

All that said, let’s take a look at the three best statistical performances from the Spurs’ loss to the Pacers.

Former Sixers big man Charles Bassey makes history off the bench for Spurs

Former Philadelphia 76ers big man Charles Bassey made some history off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs in their win.

The Philadelphia 76ers had to make a tough decision after the preseason when they had to make a few cuts to get the roster down to 15. They moved on from young players Isaiah Joe and Charles Bassey as Philadelphia had to make tough moves.

While Joe landed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bassey landed with the San Antonio Spurs. The big man initially started off in the G League, but the Spurs called him up and he has played four games for San Antonio thus far.

In those four games, Bassey is averaging 6.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 15.5 minutes per game. He made some history on Friday as he had five points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks in 18:13 off the bench.

He is only the second player in NBA history to have 14 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists in less than 20 minutes and he is the first player to do so off the bench. Bassey reacted to the feat on Saturday.

The Sixers had to make tough choices and it came down to keeping either Bassey or Paul Reed, but at this point, it does look like the Sixers should have given Bassey more of a chance to prove himself on their roster.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=70788]

[lawrence-related id=70847,70824,70819]

Doc Rivers reacts to former Sixers big man Charles Bassey joining Spurs

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers reacts to former big man Charles Bassey joining the San Antonio Spurs.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers made tough decisions to trim the roster to the league’s opening day limit. Among other decisions, the Sixers cut Charles Bassey after one season with the team.

The young big man out of Western Kentucky showed a great deal of athleticism and rim protection as he averaged 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes as a rookie. There was a lot to like about Bassey and his game out on the floor.

Now, Bassey has joined the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal. The Spurs are a rebuilding team that features a bunch of youngsters, so it’s a great opportunity for him to grow as a player.

“I think it’s a perfect place for him,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I think Charles has a future. Just like I do with Isaiah (Joe). He just has to keep working.”

Bassey should flourish under coach Gregg Popovich and the system he has built in San Antonio. They have promising young talent and the second-year big man should add to that talent.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=69850]

[lawrence-related id=69946,69939,69936]

Former Sixers big man Charles Bassey joins Spurs on a two-way deal

Former Philadelphia 76ers big man Charles Bassey will join the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal.

The Philadelphia 76ers had to make difficult decisions after the preseason and cut two young players to trim their roster. Coach Doc Rivers was fond of the two young players who he believes have a great deal of NBA potential.

While Isaiah Joe landed rather quickly with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a multiyear deal, it took Charles Bassey time to find a new home.

However, that is no longer the case. Bassey will sign with the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal. The big man averaged 3 points and 2.7 rebounds in his rookie season, and he averaged 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes so the potential is there.

Considering the Spurs are a rebuilding team, it should offer a chance for Bassey to get the necessary court time and grow as a player to be a part of their future.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=69864]

[lawrence-related id=69936,69917,69914]

Doc Rivers reacts to Sixers releasing young Isaiah Joe, Charles Bassey

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers reacts to the team releasing young players Isaiah Joe and Charles Bassey.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers had to make a few moves on Thursday to begin trimming their roster after the preseason.

The Sixers released young players Isaiah Joe and Charles Bassey. Both were second-round picks. Joe was in Philadelphia for two seasons and Bassey, one.

As the team returned to practice on Friday, coach Doc Rivers reacted to the team moving on from the two youngsters. He said Joe was part of a logjam at the wing positions.

“Tough one for me just personally because I really like the kid and I really believe he’s an NBA player,” said Rivers of Joe. “He was just caught behind so many guys. That was very difficult. So we had a long talk.”

As for Bassey, there were two other big men on the roster behind Joel Embiid: Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed. The Sixers decided to move on from Bassey.

“Charles, I believe is an NBA player, too,” Rivers added. “He’s got a long way to go, but he can get there. So we released two guys yesterday (Thursday) who I believe someday will be an NBA player and hopefully play well.”

Rivers laid out some expectations for Bassey as the young big man continues his career.

“Just being a force,” he explained. “Be more dominating, shot blocker, running the floor, rebounder. His offense will come, but while that process is happening, he had to be dominant in the other areas.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=69423]

[lawrence-related id=69446,69426,69417]