Basile takes over for Robinson, Cantù approves.

For the second consecutive year, Grant Basile is flying to Puerto Rico. The forward, under contract with Cantù Basketball until June 2027, will return to wear the Piratas de Quebradillas jersey taking the place of Thomas Robinson. The confirmation came directly from the franchise’s owner, Ernie Cambo, through the La Guarida del Pirata portal.

Robinson is leaving the team despite strong numbers on the season, averaging 19.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. The announcement of the change was released via El Cartel & Mr. Krossover.

The class of 2000 had already made his mark in the last Puerto Rican experience, imposing himself in the playoffs with 22.3 points and 6.8 rebounds average in six games. Now he returns to America after his first full year in the LBA, capped off with 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.2 minutes of average usage.

Basile’s future in Cantù, however, remains an open question. With one year left on his contract, the Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native wing has attracted the attentions of Verona and Pesaro, which have reportedly already expressed interest. WDR’s stay in Cantù would most likely have led Basile to leave the Brianza club, but the Livorno native’s farewell reshuffles the cards.

The bond between Basile and Cantù had been sealed in the summer of 2025 with a contract renewal, which came on the wave of enthusiasm for promotion to Serie A. “Acqua S.Bernardo Pallacanestro Cantù communicates that it has reached an agreement to extend the contract with Italian forward Grant Basile until the end of the 2026-27 sports season,” read the club’s official note. Words of great satisfaction had also come then from Brienza: “I am delighted that the path with Basile continues. We are going to confirm an important player from last season, who will also be fundamental in Serie A. We started an important technical-tactical work together and the possibility of being able to continue together makes us happy.”

The season in the top league also reserved for Basile an absolute starring moment, not for the most conventional reasons. On Dec. 28, 2025, in the Naples away game, a spectacular dunk by him had literally bent the iron of the basket, causing an almost hour-long suspension of the game. It was an episode that had made the rounds in Italy and testifies, beyond the numbers, to the player’s extraordinary athletic explosiveness. The game was then won by the Parthenopeans 98-86, with Cantù preannouncing an appeal but then waiving it after appropriate regulatory investigations.