Bassala Bagayoko

Bassala Bagayoko (born 10 September 2006) is a Malian professional basketball player for Fuenlabrada of the Liga ACB.

Bassala Bagayoko
No. 76 – Carplus Fuenlabrada
PositionCenter
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (2006-09-10) 10 September 2006
Bamako, Mali
Listed height6 ft 9+1⁄2 in (2.07 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2022Fuenlabrada B
2021–presentFuenlabrada

Youth career

Bagayoko moved from his hometown of Bamako, Mali, to Spain in 2018, living with a host family.[1][2] He joined the youth ranks of Santa Lucía Basket in the Canary Islands, leading their Infantil (under-14) squad to a Canarian championship title and an appearance at the 2019 Spanish National Championship.[3][4] He also led the Canary Islands representative team to their first-ever national title, recording 17 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks in the semifinal before contributing 21 points, 24 rebounds and two blocks in the final.[5][6]

Bagayoko was invited to play with Iberostar Tenerife on loan in the Minicopa Endesa, an under-14 club tournament, and averaged 15.2 points, eight rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in the competition.[7] He was selected to the ideal team after helping Iberostar Tenerife reach the final, where he recorded 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the loss to Real Madrid.[7] Bagayoko moved to Madrid to play with Baloncesto Alcalá during the 2019–20 season, notably scoring 52 points in a game against Real Madrid on 17 November 2019.[1][4]

Bagayoko won the 2021–22 Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) while on loan with Serbian club KK Mega Leks, averaging 17.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game.[8] He recorded 19 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in the 82–61 championship game victory over the U18 Next Generation Select Team.[9] Bagayoko was named the ANGT Rising Star and a member of the all-tournament team.[10][11]

Professional career

Bagayoko joined Baloncesto Fuenlabrada for the 2020–21 season and split his time between the Junior (under-18) team and the reserve team playing in the Liga EBA, the fourth division of Spanish basketball.[1] He averaged 8.8 points and eight rebounds per game in his first year in the Liga EBA.[12] On 25 April 2021, Bagayoko made his first-team debut for Fuenlabrada in a 90–76 league defeat to Real Madrid, recording two points, two rebounds, and one block in nine minutes.[13] He became the youngest player ever to debut in the Liga ACB, at 14 years and 7 months, breaking the record held by Ricky Rubio.[13] Bagayoko played in four more games to close out the season and averaged 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in limited minutes.

Bagayoko again received limited playing time in 2021–22, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in less than eight minutes per game in his second season. He also averaged 12.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game for the reserves in the Liga EBA. Prior to the 2022–23 season, Fuenlabrada head coach Josep Maria Raventós indicated that young players such as Bagayoko, Juan Fernández and Rodijs Macoha would play an increased role on the team.[11] Bagayoko averaged 6.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals and 17.4 minutes played in seven games. On 30 October 2022, he recorded 11 points and eight rebounds in a 91–69 loss to Real Madrid.[14] However, Bagayoko tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in their next game against Bàsquet Manresa on 5 November, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2022–23 season.[15]

On 30 June 2023, Bagayoko informed Fuenlabrada of his decision to rescind his contract, which tied him to the club until 2026.[16][17] This drew comparisons to Bismack Biyombo, who rescinded his contract with Fuenlabrada in 2011 and signed with the Charlotte Bobcats.[17]

References
  1. Miranda, Ignacio (6 September 2021). "Descubriendo a Bassala Bagayoko, la joya de 14 años que ya debutó en la acb". Básquet Plus (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  2. Puertas, José Manuel (29 September 2022). "Bassala Bagayoko, la nueva gran esperanza del 'Fuenla'". Ideal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  3. Arias, Agustín (12 May 2019). "El Santa Lucía de Tirajana, campeón de Canarias Infantil Masculino". El Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. "Con 13 años y ya es capaz de hacer cosas deslumbrantes: te presentamos a Bassala Bagayoko". Gigantes.com (in Spanish). 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  5. Arias, Agustín (7 January 2019). "Canarias, campeón de España Infantil Masculino". El Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  6. García Hernández, Carlos (26 December 2019). "Canarias irá sin extranjeros al Campeonato de España". La Provincia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  7. Arias, Agustín (17 February 2019). "El aurinegro Bassala Bakayogo, en el quinteto ideal de la Minicopa Endesa 2019". El Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  8. "Bassala Bagayoko | Adidas Next Generation Tournament". Euroleague Basketball. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. "Mega Mozzart wins 2022 Adidas Next Generation Tournament". Eurohoops. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  10. "Djurisic named ANGT Finals MVP after helping Mega to title". Euroleague Basketball. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  11. González, Ricardo (4 June 2022). "El Fuenla apuesta fuerte por la estrella emergente: Bagayoko". Diario AS (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  12. Carrascal, Iván (16 September 2021). "Proyecto Urbas Fuenlabrada 21/22: volver y el hito de la continuidad". Solobasket (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  13. Sáez-Bravo, Lucas (25 April 2021). "Un debut para la historia: Bassala Bagayoko supera a Ricky Rubio con 14 años y siete meses". El Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  14. "El Real Madrid se impone por 91-69 frente al Urbas Fuenlabrada". Infobae (in Spanish). 30 October 2022. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  15. "Bassala Bagayoko dice adiós a la temporada". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  16. "Bagayoko, otro joven talento que rompe con su club". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2 July 2023. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  17. González, Ricardo (2 July 2023). "El caso Bagayoko recuerda al de Biyombo: cláusula de 1,1 millones con el 40% para el tutor". Diario AS (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
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