Bassey was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where he played soccer until age 12, standing 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) at the time.

[1] At that age, he was discovered by a youth basketball coach while Bassey was selling fried chicken on the side of a road and wearing flip-flops that were too small for him.

[3] At age 14, Bassey was named most valuable player (MVP) of basketball camp Giants of Africa, a program established by Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri.

[11][12] He still made his season debut, and head coach Jeff Merritt was fired for playing an ineligible player.

[13] St. Anthony withdrew from the TAPPS and joined the Texas Christian Athletic League, allowing Bassey to become eligible again.

He made the decision after Hennssy Auriantal, his legal guardian and an assistant coach at St. Anthony, was dismissed from the program.

[20] Bassey's sophomore season was cut short by a tibial plateau fracture he suffered against Arkansas that required surgery.

The next day, the Spurs announced that Bassey was diagnosed with a fracture of his left patellar tendon, ending his season.

[34] In December 2023, Bassey tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), prematurely ending another season.