Bassala Bagayoko
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| No. 13 – Surne Bilbao Basket | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Liga ACB |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 10 September 2006 Bamako, Mali |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9+1⁄2 in (2.07 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2022 | Fuenlabrada B |
| 2021–2023 | Fuenlabrada |
| 2024–present | Bilbao |
| 2025 | →Zornotza |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Bassala Bagayoko (born 10 September 2006) is a Malian professional basketball player for Bilbao Basket of the Liga ACB.
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]