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Noah Levick: As @Shams Charania first reported, source confirms Charles Bassey has agreed to a 3-year deal with the Sixers that's fully guaranteed in Year 1, partially guaranteed in Year 2. Sixers took the WKU center 53rd in this year's draft and he opted against playing summer league.
Sixers rookie Charles Bassey — the No. 53 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Western Kentucky — plans to sign the one-year, non-guaranteed tender, sources said. Bassey and the 76ers have so far been unable to land a rookie deal. Bassey did not play in the Las Vegas Summer League because he was unsigned.
Courtney Lee: I'm going into the first year of being retired
Courtney Lee has traded in his basketball shoes for a set of golf clubs and a softball bat. The Western Kentucky great and longtime NBA player is now enjoying life in retirement from professional basketball. "Man, I'm going into the first year of being retired. I'm picking up golf. It's a new hobby for me. It's keeping me busy," Lee told the Daily News on Saturday.
Lee's interest in sports hasn't wavered in retirement. He's already picked up another game -- golf. Lee posted a photo March 24 on Instagram of himself in a Western Kentucky shirt playing at Interlachen Country Club in Winter Park, Fla., with a WKU golf bag equipped with a Big Red club cover in the foreground. "Golf, I picked that up four months ago. I'm addicted to it, so I'm sticking with it," Lee said. "The retirement life is just spending time with my daughter, traveling and having fun with the family right now."
WKU junior big man Charles Bassey has declared for the NBA draft. The original report was made by Jonathan Givony from ESPN. The announcement comes Thursday afternoon from the center who told ESPN he was declaring for the draft and hiring an agent.
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Charles Bassey took his time to make an NBA draft decision, but for Western Kentucky fans, it was worth the wait. Bassey, the reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, is returning to WKU for his sophomore season, the school announced at 12:50 a.m. (Eastern time) Thursday morning.
More than 20 scouts from around the NBA flocked to Diddle Arena to see WKU's 2018-19 basketball team participate in a pro day on Thursday. The scouting opportunity consisted of practice drills that allowed NBA scouts to see players like freshman center Charles Bassey, graduate transfer forward DeSean Murray, sophomore Taveion Hollingsworth and others shows their skills.
Jeff Goodman: Western Kentucky’s Lamonte Bearden told ESPN he intends to sign with an agent and remain in the NBA Draft. Averaged 11.8 points and 3.4 assists this past season.
Multiple sources told ESPN that Robinson left the WKU campus more than a week ago and is currently home in New Orleans with no intention of returning to school. Robinson confirmed the news to Scout.com late Sunday night. "I've decided to leave Western Kentucky and just focus on next year's NBA draft," Robinson told Scout.com.
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Mitchell Robinson is expected to return to Western Kentucky, multiple sources told WBKO over the weekend. Robinson, a 7-foot, McDonald’s All American center from Chalmette (La.) High School, has until 4 p.m. Monday to officially enroll at WKU. The freshman attended WKU briefly in July before leaving school to contemplate his future. A five-star recruit, Robinson left Bowling Green in late July and was granted a release from his scholarship a few days later. He took recruiting trips to Louisiana State, Kansas and New Orleans while also considering the start to his professional career or whether to individually train for the 2018 NBA Draft in June.
Paul Pierce posed for a Spalding ad on Western Kentucky’s campus this week. That meant lots of photographs of Paul Pierce in a Wizards uniform.
One free-agent possibility for the Magic is A.J. Slaughter, a 6-foot-3 Western Kentucky University alumnus who most recently played for Cholet in the French league. Magic officials have been pleased with Slaughter, 25, in summer-league practices, but his playing time has been limited in the exhibition games because the bulk of the time at point guard has gone to Oladipo and Doron Lamb.
While playing for Cholet in France last season, the Magic came to take a look at Rudy Gobert, a 7-foot-2 center expected to be selected in tonight’s NBA Draft. AJ Slaughter said Magic general manager Rob Hennigan recognized him from his days playing at WKU with Courtney Lee, who was drafted in 2008 to Orlando. Hennigan invited the Shelby County product to Orlando this summer. “I was excited,” Slaughter said. “That’s what I work hard for and that’s what my dream is, to play in the NBA. I was excited when I got the news, and now I’m trying my best to be prepared going into the minicamp.”
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