Mohamed Fakaba Bamba (born May 12, 1998) is an Ivorian-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who last played for the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

. He was highly regarded by scouts due to his wingspan and shooting ability. He attended

Cardigan Mountain School Cardigan Mountain School, also called Cardigan or CMS, for short, is an all-boys independent boarding school for grades six through nine, located on 62 Alumni Drive, Canaan, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded in 1945 on land provided b ...

Canaan, New Hampshire Canaan is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,794 at the 2020 census. It is the location of Mascoma State Forest. Canaan is home to the Cardigan Mountain School, the town's largest employer. The main ...

, and

Westtown School Westtown School is a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Founded in 179 ...

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...

, and was considered one of the top high school prospects for the class of 2017.

Early life

Bamba was born on May 12, 1998, in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to Lancine Bamba and Aminata Johnson, who both emigrated from the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

. Bamba's grandparents were born and brought up in present-day

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. His older brother, Sidiki Johnson, played college basketball at

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, Providence, and

Wabash Valley The Wabash Valley is a region located in sections of both Illinois and Indiana. It is named for the Wabash River and, as the name is typically used, spans the middle to the middle-lower portion of the river's valley and is centered at Terre Haute, ...

. Another member of his family, estranged brother Ibrahim Johnson, also played college basketball at multiple universities, including both Farmingdale State and Montevallo. Bamba first became interested in basketball at age six, inspired by the game's popularity in his hometown.

High school career

20170329 MCDAAG Mohamed Bamba watches rebound

In eighth and ninth grade, Bamba attended

, an all-boys boarding school in

. After graduating from Cardigan, Bamba went on to

Westtown West Town or Westtown may refer to any of the following places. United Kingdom * West Town, Peterborough in Cambridgeshire * West Town, Hayling Island in Hampshire * West Town, Backwell in North Somerset United States * West Town, Chicago in Illin ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. As a junior he averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks per game. He played in the 2017 McDonald's All American Game and the

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

. Bamba was rated as a five-star recruit and was ranked among the top recruits in his class. His final four schools were

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Ultimately, Bamba chose to play for the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

for his college career. Before playing a single game for Texas, his half-brother Ibrahim Johnson posted a 22-minute-long video on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

, talking about how there were some illegal benefits from a Michigan-based investor involved during the decision-making and that he was reporting the information to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

. However, the NCAA reported that nothing involved there would ultimately affect Bamba's eligibility for his freshman season.

College career

Bamba made his official college debut on November 10, 2017, against

Northwestern State Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Johnson and Alexandria. It is a part of the Un ...

, recording 15 points and eight rebounds in a blowout win that night. Eight days later, he recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a blowout win against Lipscomb. On December 30, Bamba recorded a season-high 22 points, 15 rebounds, and eight blocks in a loss to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. On New Year's Day 2018, Bamba would record a then-season-high 16 rebounds with 10 points in a 74–70 overtime win over

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

. He would record a new career-high in points scored with 25 points scored with 15 rebounds in an 85–72 win over

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

on January 27, 2018, five days after recording his previous high of 24 points in a win over Iowa State. On February 17, Bamba would record a new career-high of 18 rebounds with 10 points scored in a 77–66 win over #23 ranked

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, five days after tying his previous career-high of 16 rebounds with 16 points in a close 74–73 double overtime loss to Baylor. At the end of the regular season for Texas, Bamba was named a member of the Big 12's All-Newcomer Team and All-Defensive Team, as well as being named a member of the All-Big 12 Second Team. He averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. Following Texas's loss in the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament to

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, Bamba announced his intention to forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

, where he was expected to be a

lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

selection.

Professional career

At the 2018 NBA combine, Bamba measured at tall and measured a wingspan, breaking the record previously held by Edy Tavares. At a private workout, Bamba reportedly ran faster than most of the NBA, including MVP

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member o ...

, since he had a 3.04 3/4 court sprint. Bamba refused to work out with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

before the draft, and told them not to draft him.

Orlando Magic (2018–2023)

On June 21, 2018, Bamba was selected with the sixth overall pick by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in the

. On July 3, 2018, Bamba officially signed a rookie-scale contract with the Magic. He made his professional debut on October 17, 2018, recording 13 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks off the bench in a 104–101 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. On May 3, 2021, Bamba scored 22 points and grabbed a then-career-high 15 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench in a 119–112 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. On October 29, 2021, Bamba grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and scored 14 points during a 110–109 loss to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. On January 19, 2022, Bamba scored a career-high 32 points on seven three-pointers made in a 123–110 loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On July 1, 2022, Bamba re-signed with the Magic on a two-year deal. On December 29, he was suspended by the NBA for one game without pay due to coming off the bench during an altercation in a game against the

the day before. On February 4, 2023, Bamba was suspended by the NBA for four games without pay due to his role in an altercation during a game against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

the day before. During the altercation, Bamba left the Magic bench area and threw punches at Timberwolves guard

Austin Rivers Austin James Rivers (born August 1, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a sports analyst for ESPN. He played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the 2012 NBA draft, Rivers was se ...

Los Angeles Lakers (2023)

On February 9, 2023, Bamba was traded to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in a four-team trade involving the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

and

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. On March 5, during a 113–105 win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, he played two minutes before suffering a left ankle injury and leaving the game. Four days later, the Lakers announced that Bamba had been diagnosed with a high left ankle sprain and would be sidelined for at least four weeks. He returned to action on 7 April, playing as a substitute in a game against the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. On June 29, 2023, Bamba was waived by the

Philadelphia 76ers (2023–2024)

On July 9, 2023, Bamba signed a one-year deal with the

. The Sixers' franchise player

Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian and American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks men's ...

insisted to Bamba that he join his team.

Los Angeles Clippers (2024–2025)

On July 6, 2024, Bamba signed a one-year deal with the

. On February 1, 2025, Bamba, with P. J. Tucker, a 2030 second-round pick and cash considerations were traded to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

in exchange for Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills, but he was waived the next day.

New Orleans Pelicans (2025–present)

On March 10, 2025, Bamba signed a 10-day contract with the

National team career

Because of his Ivorian heritage, Bamba was eligible to play for the Ivory Coast national team. He was on the preliminary roster for the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

. Bamba was also selected to be on the Olympic Qualifying Tournament roster for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. However, Bamba did not make his debut.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 47 , , 1 , , 16.3, , .481 , , .300 , , .587 , , 5.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.4 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 0 , , 14.2 , , .462 , , .346 , , .674 , , 4.9 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 46 , , 5 , , 15.8 , , .472 , , .322 , , .682 , , 5.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 69 , , 25.7 , , .480 , , .381 , , .781 , , 8.1 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.7 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 6 , , 17.0 , , .495 , , .398 , , .686 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 9 , , 1 , , 9.8 , , .407 , , .313 , , .545 , , 4.6 , , .4 , , .1 , , .6 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 57 , , 17 , , 13.0 , , .490 , , .391 , , .680 , , 4.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 28 , , 2 , , 12.6 , , .466 , , .300 , , .680 , , 4.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .444 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 6.3 , , .5 , , .0 , , .8 , , 2.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 364 , , 101 , , 16.8 , , .477 , , .356 , , .682 , , 5.4 , , .8 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 6.8

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 3 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 28 , , 30.2 , , .603 , , .280 , , .678 , , 10.4 , , .5 , , .8 , , 3.7 , , 12.9

Personal life

During his time growing up in Harlem, Bamba was friends with rapper

Sheck Wes Khadimou Rassoul Cheikh Fall (born September 10, 1998), known professionally as Sheck Wes, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2018 song "Mo Bamba (song), Mo Bamba", which went viral online before peaking at number six on the Billboa ...

. Their relationship would eventually inspire the hit single " Mo Bamba". In October 2020, Mo Bamba's brother, Ibrahim Johnson, was murdered.

References

External links

Texas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamba, Mo 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Ivorian sportsmen American men's basketball players American people of Ivorian descent American people of Malian descent Basketball players from Manhattan Birmingham Squadron players Centers (basketball) Ivorian men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Orlando Magic draft picks Orlando Magic players People from Harlem Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards San Diego Clippers (NBA G League) players Sportspeople of Ivorian descent Sportspeople of Malian descent Texas Longhorns men's basketball players Westtown School alumni