On Friday, the San Antonio Spurs surprised everyone by waiving Canadian guard Josh Primo, who had been the team’s choice for the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.
Josh Primo Issues a Statement Following Spurs Release Regarding Mental Health!
This season, the 6-foot-6 guard from Toronto who is 19 years old had played in four games and averaged 7.0 points despite dealing with a few minor injuries.
“It is our belief that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua,” RC Buford, the chief executive officer of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, said in reference to the decision.
The Spurs refused to provide any additional information when asked about the circumstances surrounding Primo’s release.
Primo made it clear in a statement he released late on Friday night that he intends to get help for his mental health problems.
In a statement that he provided to ESPN, he stated, “I’ve been getting help to deal with the trauma I received, and will now take this time to focus more fully on my mental health treatment.” “In the future, it is my sincere desire to be able to talk about these concerns so that I might assist those who have suffered in a manner like to mine.”
Gregg Popovich, the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, came a half hour after his scheduled pre-game media session and only minutes after the Spurs issued a statement regarding Primo’s waiver.
Popovich reassured the crowd, “We are going to stand by what we told you.”
After playing for Alabama for one season, Primo played for the Spurs and had a rookie season in which he averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He became the youngest player in NBA history to start at least 18 games, and he did so at the age of 18 years and 300 days, making him the youngest player ever to participate in an NBA game after attending college.
Due to a sprained MCL, Primo was sidelined for the whole of this pre-season. A little over two weeks ago, San Antonio picked up the third-year team option on the Canadian player.
The Spurs had also released forward Jordan Hall and announced the signing of center Charles Bassey to a two-way contract.
Bassey, who is 6 feet 11 inches tall and 235 pounds, attended St. Anthony Catholic High School in San Antonio, Texas, for two years, from 2015 to 2017, and participated in the school’s basketball program. The Philadelphia 76ers selected the player with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
That player played in 23 games for the Sixers during the previous season, averaging 3.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 7.3 minutes per game. He also participated in three playoff games for the Sixers. This year, Bassey participated in just one of Philadelphia’s preseason games before the team released him on October 13.
Bassey was born in Nigeria and attended Western Kentucky University for three years. During his time there, he was recognized as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year twice and won Player of the Year as a junior in the academic year 2020-21. In his college career, he played a total of 72 games and finished with averages of 15.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.56 blocks.
After signing a two-way contract with San Antonio on August 11, Hall participated in four exhibition games for the Spurs prior to the start of the regular season.
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