logo
Why Charles Bassey did not play with the Boston Celtics in the last game of summer league

Why Charles Bassey did not play with the Boston Celtics in the last game of summer league

USA Today14 hours ago
If you are wondering why unsigned big man Charles Bassey did not play with the Boston Celtics in their last game of the NBA's 2025 Las Vegas Summer League, we now know why. The Sin City Celtics found themselves without their best overall player in summer league action due to the free agent center having commitments elsewhere this summer.
To get the lowdown on why Bassey did not suit up for the Summer Celtics in their penultimate tilt of the annual Nevada summer exhibition series (and their last of the Las Vegas Summer League regular season, if you can call it that), check out what the cohosts of the CLNS Media "Garden Report" podcast, Bobby Manning, Noa Dalzell and A. Sherrod Blakely, had to say in a recent pod with cohost of "The Big Three NBA" podcast, Gary Washburn.
The four took some time to talk about Bassey's future, why it won't be with Boston in Vegas, and more.
If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: https://ytubl.ink/3Ffk
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Memphis Grizzlies sign PJ Hall, former Clemson basketball star, to NBA two-way contract
Memphis Grizzlies sign PJ Hall, former Clemson basketball star, to NBA two-way contract

Yahoo

time23 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Memphis Grizzlies sign PJ Hall, former Clemson basketball star, to NBA two-way contract

Former Clemson basketball star PJ Hall has an NBA contract again. The Memphis Grizzlies signed Hall to a two-way contract July 20. A two-way contract allows a team to have up to three players (in addition to their 15-man roster) who can split time between the NBA and its G League affiliate. Hall, 23, is back in the NBA after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft and signing a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets. He played in 19 games with the Nuggets last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 3.5 minutes as a rookie. The Nuggets released him this offseason, and he played for the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League when the Grizzlies signed him. He averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, one assist and 1.6 blocks in 13.7 minutes. Hall started all 20 of his Showcase Cup and regular-season appearances with the G League's Grand Rapids Gold last season, averaging 18.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32 minutes. He averages increased to 19.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31.5 minutes in 13 games during the regular season. Hall attended Clemson for four seasons and helped it make to the Elite Eight for the first time in 44 years in 2024. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and finished third in ACC Player of the Year voting in his final season. Before Clemson, Hall played at Dorman in Spartanburg, helping the Cavaliers to two Class AAAAA state championships. He was rated the state's No. 1 recruit by 247Sports and was selected the Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year as a senior. Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@ and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00 This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Former Clemson basketball star P.J. Hall signs with Memphis Grizzlies

Duncan Robinson embraces his anxiety. It's fueling a new chapter with the Pistons
Duncan Robinson embraces his anxiety. It's fueling a new chapter with the Pistons

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Duncan Robinson embraces his anxiety. It's fueling a new chapter with the Pistons

Life for Duncan Robinson has been a balancing act. He understands he's worthy of all the success he's achieved. But an earlier version of Robinson, the one who struggled to find consistent playing time in high school, still creeps into his mind. It's a constant battle, fueled by anxiety, that has allowed Robinson to build an eight-year NBA career after going undrafted in 2018. He's used it to help him accomplish his childhood dream. Advertisement Robinson has long been intimate with anxiety. The two go all the way back to his junior year in 2011 at The Governor's Academy, where Robinson got inconsistent minutes on his high school basketball team. He's well acquainted with uncertainty. He knows the way expectations weigh on a psyche. For Robinson, none of his accomplishments have been able to silence his perpetual angst. Robinson prefers it that way. 'I've always had this anxiety of like, 'Am I good enough?'' he told The Athletic. 'Obviously, I have some God-given talents and abilities. … I sort of feel my superpower has sort of existed in that space of, 'I haven't really achieved anything yet.'' It's a healthy friction, he believes. A welcomed discomfort keeps him from complacency and pushes him toward progress. Robinson is now embarking on his eighth season after being undrafted. The ink is barely dry on his new three-year, $48 million contract, adding to the $70-plus million he's already earned. Yet, somehow, he still sees himself halfway up the proverbial mountain. The summit never gets closer. He's perennially in the same spot — high enough up to know he can achieve success, yet far enough away from the peak to prevent any real sense of security. Robinson is acutely aware of his shortcomings. He knows he's no physical prodigy. His measurables don't stack up in a league full of athletes. He's 6-feet-7 and shoots with the best of them. But that's not enough for ease. Robinson likes the 'razor's edge,' as he calls it. The feeling that he's never arrived. The 31-year-old forward is now 423 regular-season games into his NBA career, has shot 39.7 percent from 3 during that time and has NBA Finals experience. But still, Robinson battles the voice in his head questioning his on-court worth. After being considered an underdog for the majority of his career, Robinson found himself starting a career-best 72 games in 2020-21. It was the season after he solidified himself as a pillar of the Miami Heat's rotation. Advertisement Robinson's opinion of himself began changing as well. 'The public perspective shifted my own perspective of myself,' he said. 'The challenging part of that was realizing and coming to terms with the fact that a public perception should not be indicative of, or define how I think of myself or the process in which I take to get to the person that I want to be. 'As much as somebody can tell you, 'Aw, don't worry about what someone's saying,' or 'Don't worry about that,' we're all human beings. We see and hear things around us all the time. So, working through and getting to the other side of that — of I'm not defined by being an 'underdog,' I'm not defined by being 'overpaid.' I'm defined by what I show up and do every single day.' What Robinson did with his time in Miami was enough for Detroit's president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, to acquire him via a sign-and-trade that sent Simone Fontecchio to the Heat. Robinson is the second-oldest player on the roster behind 33-year-old Tobias Harris. His reluctance to settle and desire to persevere will be necessary on a team with a median age of 24.6 looking to advance past the first round. It could become a beneficial partnership for both Robinson and the Pistons. For Robinson, it's an opportunity to grow into a more expansive leadership role. For the Pistons, the franchise can now gain from his experience. Robinson brings a wealth of NBA knowledge. He understands what it's like not getting much playing time. He knows the feeling of hearing his name called as a starter. And the feeling of being relegated back to the bench after being a starter. 'The moments in my career, where on paper, are the biggest accomplishment or the moments where you have everything figured out have been followed by these just gut-punching setbacks,' Robinson said. 'And that's what life is, a lot of times. Everyone can sort of relate to that. It's not necessarily the fact that you go from a high to a low. But it's how you respond to it and how you find some equilibrium to find the peace and drive to continue to push forward.' Advertisement That peace and equilibrium will be needed in Detroit as one of the few veterans, along with Harris. Robinson's former Michigan teammate, Caris LeVert, 30, rounds out the veterans. Robinson said he has worked on his resilience in the same way he works on becoming a better player. 'Having resilience has been, sort of, the calling card of who I aspire to be,' he said. 'I'm a big believer in that, learning how to deal with setbacks and challenges is a skill as much as shooting or dribbling. And the skill is honed and acquired through repetition. The only way you can get better at dealing with it is having gone through it. 'So, that's one area of my career where I feel like I've been very fortunate is that from a young age. … I was challenged early on, (asking myself), 'Is this what you want to do? Is this what you want to be?' And I always just kept coming back to, 'Yeah, I mean, this is. I love basketball more than anything. It's what I do, not necessarily who I am. But in terms of the game itself, it's given me more than I ever could imagine.' Sharing knowledge, while also being open to receiving it, is one way in which Robinson is planning to continue to dedicate himself to the game. He is the only Piston who has experienced the intensity of the NBA Finals. A blend of the knowledge between what Robinson accumulated in his run to the finals, Harris' 67 playoff games and LeVert's 25 postseason appearances could prove to be vital on such a young team. Robinson, who was out with his new teammates for Las Vegas Summer League for the first time since signing, spoke about the Pistons' youth as what drew him to the team. He also notices a similarity between what he's been through and what he sees in his new home. 'When I think of a city like Detroit, I think of resilience,' Robinson said. 'I think of a city that's seen the highest highs and the lowest lows, and is still finding a way to bounce back. I think that embodies the people that inhabit it. And that's very much in tune and in line with everything my career has been.' Advertisement After sharing locker rooms with veterans like Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Udonis Haslem and Andre Iguodala, Robinson is now stepping into a new role. One where he will likely be relied upon in the same way he did with Wade during his rookie season. At least for Robinson, it helps that he has some familiarity with this group. 'Some crazy games last year,' he said with a laugh. 'But the thing that sticks out about this group is their physicality, their toughness and how hard they play. And honestly how they share the ball. That's the type of system you want to be in. Those are the types of guys you want to be around.' The belief Detroit has shown by investing in Robinson, to be impactful both on the floor and in the locker room, reaffirms he is good enough. The internal voice pushing Robinson to reach his full potential likely won't ever fully be silenced. But it's now a privilege for Robinson to share his wisdom with the youngest team he's been a part of. 'At this stage in my life,' he said, 'I really just kind of view it as I owe it to a game that's given me so much.'

Brad Stevens Gets Honest On Why Celtics Traded Jrue Holiday And Kristaps Porzingis
Brad Stevens Gets Honest On Why Celtics Traded Jrue Holiday And Kristaps Porzingis

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Brad Stevens Gets Honest On Why Celtics Traded Jrue Holiday And Kristaps Porzingis

Brad Stevens Gets Honest On Why Celtics Traded Jrue Holiday And Kristaps Porzingis originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Boston Celtics look very different from the championship-winning roster they had two years ago. After making significant changes to their roster, the Celtics' status as title contenders has come into question. When asked to explain the reasoning behind these decisions, Celtics president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, offered a candid response: "Trades happened. I think that those are pretty obvious. And the basketball penalties associated with those are real. We've all talked about that. But we're fortunate because we like the guys we got back. You know, and I think that that's one of the things that, you know, we are excited about." After facilitating the trades for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics saved a significant amount of money in luxury tax payments. However, he expressed that it was challenging to see key players like Holiday and Porzingis on the way out. He continued: "Those are not easy trades to make. Those are not easy phone calls. Obviously, those guys have been around the league a long time. They knew the CBA. They knew that that was a high likelihood that they could be part of a move, and they were communicated that before. But it's still hard. We will miss them, and we are thankful for them.' Stevens also addressed the positive aspects of the trades and their offseason signings of Luka Garza and Josh Minott. He added: "We've been limited in what tools we can use, with where we are right around the second apron. We were looking for those guys on those contracts that have upside, and who are competitors, who are workers, who want to be good and haven't hit their peak yet, but we've seen something in them that gives them a chance to be very impactful." While the addition of Garza and Minott may be considered positive from a salary cap point of view, neither player is capable of moving the needle for the team next season. The impact of the trades has left the Celtics in a weakened position, especially considering that they will be without their superstar Jayson Tatum for much of next season as well. With significantly reduced roster strength, the upcoming season effectively appears to be a gap year for the Celtics. But the franchise has already set its sights on the future. Boston has reportedly emerged as a potential landing spot for recently waived star guard Damian Lillard. After being bought out by the Bucks, Lillard will enter free agency, where he has garnered attention from a handful of teams thus far. Considering that Lillard will also be recovering from injury next season, the timeline for his return aligns with Tatum's. On a reduced salary, Lillard could join the Celtics, effectively transforming them into a contender again. While there would be a severe need to bolster their frontcourt, Boston could find itself on the path to becoming title contenders again by following such a story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store