Unless you are a diehard basketball fan, you probably haven’t heard the name Charles Bassey.
Unlike the stories of high school prodigies, highly-rated college recruits, and players who were groomed for greatness at a young age with a documentary crew and millions of social media followers, Bassey’s journey to the highest level of basketball from a virtually unknown prospect is a true testament to hard work and determination.
Born in the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, his story started a world away—literally and figuratively—from the glitz of the NBA.
The only son of Akpan and Grace Ebong’s three children, Charles shared a modest two-bedroom home with his parents and sisters, Angela and Grace.
There weren’t private trainers or elite camps growing up. Only dreams. And a whole lot of hustle to survive.
The family ran a small fried chicken stand on the side of a busy road.
For most kids in Lagos, soccer is king. It’s almost like you’re placed in a crib with a soccer ball in it. And that’s where Bassey started, playing soccer – barefoot – with friends in the streets.
But he soon fell in love with a different type of roundball sport.
At the age of 13, the lanky teen, who looked more like a shot blocker than a striker, was introduced to basketball by a Nigerian coach named Oladele Awonuga.
While it’s not rare for a youth coach to invite a teen to participate in a sport, especially when they possess the height and build for basketball, it was where they met that made things unique.
Awonuga first noticed Bassey playing soccer at his family’s chicken stand, wearing flip flops that were clearly too small for him.
He asked Charles if he played basketball.
“Nah, man,” Bassey replied. “No one even knows there are basketballs in Africa. We play soccer.”
Although he wasn’t keen on Awonuga’s invitation at first, it didn’t take long for Charles to fall in love with basketball.
He participated in the Giants of Africa camp, where his hard work and determination earned him MVP status during his second year of the program.
At the age of 14, Bassey and his father decided that the teen should head to the United States in search of better training and opportunities.
Working with Hennssy Auriantal, creator of the Yes II Success program, he soon found himself playing 6,700 miles away from home at St. Anthony Catholic High School in Texas.
As a freshman, Bassey’s 20.2 points, 17.1 rebounds, and 5.9 blocks were worthy of All-American honors as he led the Saints to a 5A State title.
Not bad for a kid who had only known basketball for about two years.
But just when people started to take notice, Charles kept moving. Literally. After a sophomore year in Texas, he transferred to Aspire Academy in Louisville, Kentucky.
In one dominant season there, he averaged nearly a 20-13-3 stat line and began appearing on recruiting boards across the country. Suddenly, this kid from a roadside chicken stand in Nigeria was a top-10 high school prospect.
Bassey’s numbers caught the eye of major college programs, including Baylor, Boston College, California, Kansas, Louisville, and Western Kentucky.
With enough credits to graduate early, Charles reclassified to join the 2018 freshman class. As a 6’10” center, he fit exactly what Hilltoppers’ head coach Rick Stansbury was looking for entering the 2019 season.
Whereas schools like Baylor, California, Kansas, and Louisville would provide him more of a high-profile opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a larger audience, Bassey decided to go for the role of a big fish in a small pond.
“I attended Western Kentucky because of Coach Stansbury and the rest of the staff,” he said.
“They recruited me early on in my career and attended almost all of my high school and AAU games. They were always in the gym, just like me. They were honest, made me feel comfortable, and promised to push me hard in order to get me where I needed to be.”
His first season on the Bowling Green, Kentucky campus was nothing short of spectacular, leading the team in multiple categories and setting records by a first-year Hilltopper in rebounds, blocks, and double-doubles.
Although the team posted a winning record, they failed to reach any postseason tournaments.
A successful freshman season was soon followed by an unfortunate sophomore one as he fractured his tibia just ten games into the season.
In what would be his final college season, Bassey returned to the Hilltoppers’ lineup, dominating the paint and showing NBA scouts what they (and the NCAA) had missed out on during his injury-shortened season.
With the extra time spent in the weight room and on the practice court, he hit the court stronger, more polished, and with a renewed focus.
Averaging 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks, he earned Conference USA Player of the Year honors.
No longer an unknown NBA hopeful, Bassey had become a legitimate prospect on many of the mock draft charts.
But it wasn’t just on the hardwood. Charles also performed in the classroom, as his 3.9 GPA found him on the Dean’s List and the Conference USA All-Academic Team.
“That’s what makes me who I am: my character,” he said. “One day, I’m going to need to stop playing basketball and get a life after that. You’re not going to play forever. I want to get my degree. Just being a good person in the community. Giving back, that’s a blessing after blessing.”
While it may not have turned out as hoped, Bassey eventually heard his name called during the 2021 NBA Draft after forgoing his senior college season.
With the 53rd pick, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed him to their organization.
As with many second-round draft picks, he needed to prove his worth during the NBA Summer League.
Averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds, Bassey earned a two-way rookie deal of just over $925,000, a far cry from the money he earned selling fried chicken on the side of the road back home.
As a rookie with the Sixers, he became a sponge as he found himself being mentored by Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, and Paul Millsap.
Sharing the same personal skills trainer as Embiid (Drew Hanlen), Bassey had nothing but praise for the Sixers’ star big man.
“He’s one of the best bigs in the league. Sometimes in practice, he calls me on the sideline and talks to me and gives me advice. Sometimes when we do drills and I make mistakes, he talks to me. I’m still learning as a rookie. He took me under his wing. It’s been cool.”
After playing a minimal role off the bench behind Embiid and Jordan, Charles found himself on the waiver wire prior to the start of his second season.
Thankfully, two weeks later, the San Antonio Spurs – a team in full-rebuild mode – came calling, offering Bassey a two-way deal that five months later turned into a 4-year, $10.2 million guaranteed contract.
Playing a backup role with the Spurs for the last three seasons, each of which was impacted by some sort of lower-body injury, has not led to the on-court opportunities to shine that he may have hoped for.
Now, after signing a deal with the Grizzlies, the 25-year-old will have to once again put in the offseason work that he did before his high school, college, and pro career to stick around in the NBA and once again prove the doubters wrong.
When you look back at his journey – learning the game at 13, moving to a new country at 14, becoming a high school All-American the next year, overcoming a major injury in his second year of college, making the Dean’s List, cracking an NBA roster, and turning a two-way contract into a $10 million deal – one would be wise not to bet against the underdog.
Want more underdog stories like this? Join our free weekly Underdog Newsletter 👇
