‘It’s fake toughness’: Warriors’ Charles Bassey calls out Suns after win

Golden State Warriors center Charles Bassey had some interesting words to say during his postgame interviews following Golden State’s 116-113 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

When asked about the physicality of the game, specifically the technical fouls given to Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks that resulted in Green’s ejection, Bassey expressed his willingness to stay composed and stand up for his teammates.

“To be honest, I play hard and I’m always gonna be there for my teammates,” Bassey said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s postgame show. “Of course, when stuff is going like that, you just got to stay composed. …Don’t let all this stuff get out the game. It’s fake toughness.”

Bassey then doubled down on his “fake toughness” line when talking to reporters during his postgame press conference:

“It was all fake because being physical doesn’t mean you have to scuffle with guys,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you’re tough. Being physical is playing harder every possession. Going out there and fighting for rebounds and doing what I’m doing.”

To Bassey’s credit, his physical presence played a significant role in the Warriors’ comeback from down 17 points to defeat the Suns. He finished with a career-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds, three of them on the offensive end.

Bassey has stepped up for a Golden State team that significantly lacks big men due to center Kristaps Porzingis’ injury and veteran center Al Horford often taking nights off for rest. Green’s ejection two minutes into the third quarter made matters worse, but Bassey and the Warriors responded by outscoring the Suns 59-45 from that point.

“We knew we were going to win. We started the game slow. We’ve got to get better at doing that,” Bassey said. “The last couple of games we started slow, but there was a mentality that we felt we could win. Like I said, next man up.”

Another dustup between the teams occurred in the fourth quarter when Bassey got wrapped up with Suns guard Jalen Green, ending with Suns forward Miles Bridges receiving a technical for being a “physical escalator” after he shoved Bassey.

Charles Bassey and Jalen Green get into it then Miles Bridges shove Bassey and Podz came to push Bridges away.

Miles Bridges assessed technical foul

Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns pic.twitter.com/WIuxX4N7zu

— TheSportsExplosive (@SportExplosive) November 3, 2026

Bassey played sparingly for four other teams across five years before landing with Golden State at the end of last season. The native of Nigeria was formerly a five-star recruit coming out of high school and now appears to be getting his biggest opportunity in the NBA.

The Warriors have won five straight games since losing to Phoenix on Oct. 24, while the Suns have lost three straight and fallen to 1-4 for the second consecutive season.

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