Charles Bassey Garnered Tons of Interest Following Sixers Release

The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t see a need for keeping Charles Bassey on the roster. Not only did the team leave the 2022 NBA Playoffs impressed with their third-year forward/center Paul Reed, but they also signed Montrezl Harrell just weeks before training camp.

Bassey had an uphill battle to stick around with the Sixers. During the preseason, the young veteran big man landed playing time during the Sixers’ first game against the Brooklyn Nets. From then on, he remained on the bench.

Bassey was one of three critical cuts from the Sixers, joining the former G League MVP Trevelin Queen and the former second-round pick out of Arkansas, Isaiah Joe.

Queen landed with the Indiana Pacers just days after his release from Philadelphia. Joe was scooped up by the Oklahoma City Thunder rather quickly as well.

Bassey remained a free agent for a couple of weeks, but the young center landed a new home on Monday afternoon. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Bassey will join the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal.

With the Sixers, Bassey was on a standard NBA contract. He appeared in 23 games with the main roster and played in 17 games with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

While it was difficult for Bassey to stick around with the Sixers, many other teams showed interest in the young big man, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Charles Bassey’s two-way deals with the Spurs comes after the center had discussions with 22 NBA teams following his release from the Sixers. Going to San Antonio will be a homecoming for the Nigerian player, who was a standout at San Antonio’s St. Anthony High School.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 24, 2022

Per Pompey’s report, 22 teams reached out to Bassey’s representatives after he was waived by the Sixers a couple of weeks back.

The Spurs just so happened to be the team to land his services.

Bassey garnering significant interest shouldn’t come as a surprise. While the former Western Kentucky standout has a lot of developing to do, he’s just 21 years old with a high ceiling.

“Charles, I believe, is an NBA player too,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said when discussing Isaiah Joe and Charles Bassey following their releases. “He’s got a long way to go, but he can get there. So, we released two guys, who I believe someday will be in the NBA and hopefully play well.”

Bassey will spend time with San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. But since the Spurs’ main roster is young and inexperienced, Bassey could also earn some minutes at the NBA level as well.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.