18-07-2025
Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 21 - Tim Bassett (1975-80)
The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the "New Jersey Americans".
Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.
To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise's jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 22nd of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 21, which has has had a total of 26 players wear the number in the history of the team.
The fifth of those players wearing No. 21 played in the (then) New York and New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets eras, forward alum Tim Bassett. After ending his college career at Georgia, Bassett was picked up with the 106th overall selection (there were many more rounds in that era of the draft) of the 1973 NBA Draft by the (then) Buffalo Braves (now, Boston Celtics - it's a long story).
The Washington, District of Columbia native would play the first two seasons of his pro career with the (defunct) San Diego Conquistadors instead, electing to play in the ABA instead. He would be dealt to New York in 1975, his stay with the team spanning parts of five seasons that ended when he was cut in 1980.
During his time suiting up for the Nets, Bassett wore only jersey No. 21 and put up 5.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
