Alabama center Charles Bediako agrees to one-year deal with Spurs
Alabama sophomore center Charles Bediako was not drafted Thursday, but after the 2023 NBA Draft ended, he agreed to a one-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs, according to TNT’s Chris Haynes.
Bediako started all 37 of the Crimson Tide’s games in the 2022-23 season and averaged 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20.6 minutes played per game. He led the team with 67 blocked shots and finished second on the squad with a field goal shooting percentage of 65.9. Down the stretch, Bediako was playing his best basketball, scoring in double figures in five of Alabama’s final six games before the season ended with a Sweet 16 loss to San Diego State.
The 7-foot, 225-pound center scored double-digit points in all three SEC Tournament games and was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team after the Tide won its second tournament title in three years. The Brampton, Ontario, native was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team by the league coaches after another season of being Alabama’s anchor on the defensive end. His decision to remain in the draft surprised the Tide, UA head coach Nate Oats said.
“With Charles’ decision, I mean he’s a great kid and we love him, but that surprised us a little bit with the feedback we got,” Oats said, according to AL.com. “You didn’t really pursue bigs in the portal because you anticipate (his return) but now you have to figure out another option.”
Bediako was a top-40 prospect coming out of IMG Academy (Fla.) in the 2021 class. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, the 4-star big man was the nation’s No. 36 overall prospect, the sixth-best center and the No. 7 player playing his high school basketball in the state of Florida.
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