The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Darius Bazley in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, completing a draft-night trade with the Memphis Grizzlies to select the New Balance intern who was largely a mystery man when he was selected 23rd overall.
Shortly after the draft, the landscape of Oklahoma City changed as the Thunder began their rebuild, which required a lot of roster changes. After four years in Bricktown, the Thunder traded their former first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns, where he played seven games before becoming a free agent.
After playing three games for the 76ers and six for the Utah Jazz, the 24-year-old was forced to put his NBA career on hold.
Bazley signed a contract with the Guandong Tigers ahead of the 2024-25 basketball season, committing to play in the Chinese Basketball Association which was confirmed by the league’s official Instagram account.
Perhaps after a stint in the CBA, Bazley can prove he deserves another shot in the NBA, though there’s never any shame in the 6-foot-8 forward carving out a long and successful career overseas.
The former first-round pick last played in the NBA Summer League last July, where he averaged 5.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 57 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 43 percent from the free throw line.
During his NBA career, Bazley averaged 8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 free throws per game in 237 games, while shooting 41 percent from the field, 30 percent from beyond the arc and 67 percent from the free throw line.
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