Charles Bassey Sits Out Second-Straight Summer League Game

The Philadelphia 76ers' 2021-2022 Summer League roster took the court for their second game of the mini-season on Thursday night. Coming off of a dominant win against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday afternoon, the Sixers looked to build on that momentum with a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
Unfortunately, once again, Sixers rookie Charles Bassey was not a part of the matchup as he sat out for the second-straight game this offseason.
A few weeks back, the Sixers landed Bassey out of Western Kentucky via the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. Going into the draft, the Sixers held just two picks at No. 28 and No. 50. On the morning of the big event, the Sixers acquired a third pick by sending $2 million in cash considerations to the New Orleans Pelicans for the 53rd overall selection.
After selecting Jaden Springer and Filip Petrusev with their first two picks, the Sixers snagged Bassey with their third and final pick of the night. At this point, Bassey has been introduced as one of the newest members of the Sixers, but he has yet to don the Summer League uniform and appear in a game.
According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bassey's agent recommended he should sit out the first game as a healthy scratch. Per a source, Bassey missed Thursday's game for the same reason.
Considering Bassey has yet to ink a contract with the 76ers' organization, his agent wants to ensure the rookie remains healthy while they work on making his deal official. Whether the Sixers' front office will agree to contract terms with Bassey or not before the Summer League concludes is unclear. With just a few games left, they'll be cutting it close as the schedule is tight.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
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