Former Sixer Charles Bassey finds a home with San Antonio Spurs: ‘I’m going to fit right in’
Bassey, who traveled from Lagos, Nigeria, to San Antonio to attend high school, will get to return to familiar terrain and enjoy time with family.
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Charles Bassey is going back to San Antonio.
The former 76ers center signed a two-way deal Monday morning to play for the Spurs. This is a homecoming for the Nigerian native who was a standout at San Antonio’s St. Anthony Catholic High School.
Bassey’s representation had discussions with 22 NBA teams, which included the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors, after he was waived by the Sixers on Oct. 13. With roster spots already taken, most franchises wanted Bassey to sign an Exhibit-10 deal, which allows NBA teams to offer players a bonus for playing with their G League affiliates. The expectation was he would play for their G League affiliate this season and sign to the 15-man roster next season.
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But the Spurs had a two-way deal to offer and were a good fit for the 6-foot-11, 235-pounder.
“It’s a young organization,” Bassey said of joining a squad with five 19-year-olds on the roster. “They are rebuilding. I feel like I’m going to have a great chance to play in a pretty good organization. And it’s a character organization. Everybody does stuff the same. ... I feel like I’m going to fit right in.”
The Sixers selected Bassey out of Western Kentucky with the 53rd overall pick of the 2021 draft. The 21-year-old appeared in 23 NBA games as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points on 63.6% shooting along with 2.7 rebounds, 0.7 block, and 7.3 minutes.
He played beyond those numbers when called upon in clutch situations. Teammates and coaches were impressed by his attention to detail, high basketball IQ and ability to protect the rim. However, he became expendable when the Sixers added reserve center Montrezl Harrell to the roster in September.
“I didn’t want to wait for the next year for a roster spot,” Bassey said of bypassing an Exhibit-10 deal. “That’s too long. The Spurs came hard. ... Some of the teams wanted to give me a roster spot, but they couldn’t give me one right now. I just didn’t want to go through that route.
“San Antonio said we can give you a two-way this year and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
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The best part for Bassey is he’ll be around familiar faces.
The Lagos, Nigeria, native arrived in America in 2015 to attend high school. He was a straight-A student and basketball standout at St. Anthony’s as a freshman and sophomore before moving to Louisville. Bassey’s cousin, B.J. Faniran, who came from Nigeria with him to attend high school, still resides in San Antonio.
“Being in front of my family and the place I went to high school at, I just feel like it’s the right move,” Bassey said. “They watched me in high school and college. I feel this is the right move and this is the right stuff for me and my family. I’m glad about it.”