Gone fishing: Day off fun par for the course
The Orlando Magic were given the day off Tuesday, their first since arriving on the NBA campus. With the teams quarantined in a bubble atmosphere at Walt Disney World, the activities available for players were limited.
Many Magic players went on golf and fishing outings during their day off.
Fishing for bass at Disney will be quite different for Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac. His first time fishing was earlier this summer when he went on an excursion in the Gulf of Mexico off Clearwater Beach. Isaac caught a large grouper during an off-shore outing.
“I went fishing for the first time over the break, when I was rehabbing, and I enjoyed it, so I’m gonna try to get out there and fish. I’m not really on the golfing scene,” Isaac said. “I caught a really, really big grouper [in the
Gulf ]. … It was tough. I didn’t know they were that strong.”
Isaac looked forward to joining Gary Clark and a few other Magic teammates on his Disney fishing outing, while D.J. Augustin, Michael Carter-Williams and Mo Bamba planned to play golf.
Bamba sort got a dose of fishing between workouts on Monday.
He posted a picture of himself on Instagram with a large fish he suggested he caught, while Evan Fournier scowled in the background. Clark and Fournier later posted Bamba was posing with a fish Clark actually caught.
Bamba joked he was being harassed.
Many of the Magic players are posting pictures and video on their social media accounts that suggest they are trying to have fun in the bubble while they are isolated from their families.
Bamba was asked how difficult it was for him to find golf clubs that fit his height and his 7-foot, 10-inch wingspan.
“I was able to get some clubs made for me right before my rookie year,” said the second-year player. “They told me it was almost impossible and I remember [7-foot-6] Tacko [Fall] called me a couple of days ago and I was like, ‘Tacko, I see Jayson Tatum [Fall’s Celtics teammate] getting out there. He looks like he’s pretty good. You gotta get out there with us.’
“He was just like, ‘Yeah I’m gonna just get some clubs made,’ and he said it so nonchalant, but I was like, ‘Bro, you don’t understand. You’re 6 inches taller than me.’ ’’
Magic players weren’t sure who is the best golfer on the team, suggesting bubble trips to the golf course will answer the question.
Bamba did add, however, “I’m not really too confident in any of my teammates’ golfing abilities.”