The Boston Celtics are signing Summer League standout center Charles Bassey to a 10-Day contract, per Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto. Bassey’s signing comes just over a week after Nikola Vucevic fractured his finger; Vucevic is expected to be reevaluated in 2 to 3 weeks, per the Celtics.
Bassey, who is 6’10 and 25 years old, has played for the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, and Philadelphia 76ers over the course of his 5-year NBA career, averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 116 games.
In February
this season, the 76ers signed Bassey to a 10-Day contract, where he played 1 game with Philadelphia, scoring 2 points. With Nikola Vucevic out with his fractured right ring finger, Boston had to sign Bassey to fill the minimum roster requirement of 14 players.
Bassey might be more remembered by Celtics fans for his strong play with Boston’s Summer League team this season, where he averaged 15.3 points and 11 rebounds per game on 70% shooting from the field in 3 games. Bassey had some big-time performances, including a huge game against the New York Knicks where he dropped 22 points and 13 rebounds on 8-12 shooting in a 94-81 Celtics win.
After his debut, when asked what drew him to the opportunity, Bassey cited a reason several Summer League players have pointed to this summer: “The culture.”
“They go to the playoffs every year,” Bassey said in Las Vegas. “So, obviously, just learning from those guys, it’s great for me. I went to the playoffs one time. But it’s been good, man… I’m just going to learn a lot from those guys.”
Charles Bassey has bounced around multiple NBA teams this season
This year, Bassey has signed multiple Ten-Day contracts with teams around the league, beginning the year with the Atlanta Hawks and also enjoying stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers.
Bassey has averaged 4.3 points on 63% shooting from the field and 4.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes during five combined NBA seasons with the Spurs, Grizzlies, and 76ers. (Bassey averaged 15.1 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per 36 minutes last season with the Spurs.)
Sources told CelticsBlog this past summer that Bassey was hopeful to land in Boston and was not intending on going overseas.
In 20 games in the G-League this season with the Delaware Blue Coats and Santa Cruz Warriors, he averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting 61% from the field and 43% from three.
When asked what he brings to an NBA team, Bassey said: “Great effort, my rebounding, blocking shots, rim protection. I bring great defense to the team. And I just play my role. I know what the team needs from me, I know what they want from me, and I do it every night.”
