Eddie Basden

Who is Eddie Basden?

Edward Richard Basden is an American professional basketball player who formerly played in the National Basketball Association.

Basden, born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, played competitive basketball in Greenbelt, Maryland at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, where he played against former Chicago Bulls teammate Mike Sweetney. He verbally committed to play college basketball at UMass, choosing them over Villanova, Maryland, Georgetown and George Mason. He was released from his letter of intent following the resignation of Minutemen head coach Bruiser Flint, and Basden then committed to play for Charlotte. During his career with the 49ers he was named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2005, and Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. In his senior season he was also named National Defensive Player of the Year by many college basketball analysts. He is the Conference USA all-time leader in career steals, and holds the all-time Charlotte record for steals. His #13 jersey was retired on February 19, 2009.

Basden went undrafted in the 2005 NBA Draft, but was invited to play on the Chicago Bulls Reebok Summer League team, where a strong performance earned him a two-year contract with the Bulls. He appeared in 19 games for the Bulls in 2005-06, averaging 2.1 points per game.