Bamba’s mom to see her son play in person

Mohamed Bamba’s mother, Aminata Bamba, will get to see her son play for the first time at the NBA level when the Orlando Magic take on the New York Knicks Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Bamba, who was selected No. 6 by the Magic in the 2018 NBA draft, said he thinks it will be just the second time his mom has seen him play in person.

“I don’t think she’s ever been to a game,” Bamba said. “Oh, she went to a high school game once … in Pennsylvania.”

Bamba, whose mother is from Mali and then moved to the Ivory Coast — officially the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire — in West Africa, grew up in Harlem. He played his high school ball at Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, N.H.,

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Knicks,

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and Westtown School West Chester, Pa.

Asked what he thought his mother’s expectations might be for her first time seeing him compete as a professional basketball in Kristaps Mario Hezonja player, Bamba said, “Zero. I have no idea. She doesn’t really follow basketball that much. I can’t even imagine what she thinks is going on.”

Bamba said he likely won’t get much of an opportunity during his short time in the city to visit his old hangouts, like Kingdome Court in Harlem, where he played in numerous pick-up games as a youngster. He said his mom no longer lives in Harlem. She has moved downtown in Manhattan.

“I’ll probably try to do like dinner with my mom or something, but other than that, I’ll probably just kinda chill … it’s a business trip.”

During the rookie’s first 12 NBA games, the former University of Texas star is averaging 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He is also averaging 22 minutes of playing time per contest. When measured out over minutes instead of games, Bamba’s efficiency is clear. He averages 17.0 points, 13.2 points and 4.1 blocks per 48 minutes.