LAS VEGAS – One of Mohamed Bamba’s most memorable ``welcome to the NBA’’ moments came late on Monday night when executives from the Orlando Magic placed his first pro contract down in front of him to sign.
Not long afterward, in Bamba’s first pro practice on Tuesday morning, he was greeted with another ``welcome to the NBA’’ moment that is sure to stick with him all throughout his rookie season – everyone playing on basketball’s biggest stage is talented and ready to challenge him at every turn.
``This is like a college all-star game. Everybody on the court either played in the NBA, G League or excelled in college,’’ Bamba said not long after his first official Magic practice session. ``The competition level is way up compared to last year (while in college).’’
Bamba, who has the longest measured wingspan (7 feet, 10 inches) in NBA history, was the No. 6 pick in last month’s NBA Draft by the Magic. The 7-footer worked under the supervision of new Magic head coach Steve Clifford and practiced alongside Magic teammates Jonathan Isaac, Wes Iwundu, Rodney Purvis and Melvin Frazier Jr. on Tuesday in the first of two workout sessions. He had to battle some jitters early in the day, but eventually he immersed himself fully into working to adapt to the transition he will have to make from the college game to the pros.
``I’m not going to lie – I had a little bit of butterflies on the bus meeting new people, but as soon as we got on the court it kind of went away,’’ he said, referring to his new teammates. ``It’s just about getting out there and learning things and competing.
``Just the teaching and Coach (Clifford’s) attention to detail,’’ Bamba added, referring to his biggest takeaway from his first practice. ``You would think he’s not watching you because there’s four other guys out there, but he has laser-sharp focus on everything that’s going out there.’’
Tuesday morning’s practice was the first official session for the Magic’s entry into the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League. It is the first time in league history that all 30 NBA teams are competing in the same Summer League.
The Magic are scheduled to practice twice-a-day on Tuesday and Wednesday and once on Thursday night before facing the Brooklyn Nets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN 2) on Friday. Orlando also has games against the Memphis Grizzlies (Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 2) and Phoenix Suns (Monday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN 2) before action switches into a tournament format. Teams are scheduled to play a minimum of five games and could play a maximum of eight games if they reach the championship on July 17.
Tuesday’s morning practice was a bit of a fresh start also for Clifford, who was hired by the Magic as head coach on May 30 to get the franchise back on the right track. The last time Orlando was in the playoffs, the 2011-12 season, Clifford was an assistant coach for the Magic. He was also a part of the 2009 and ’10 teams that reached the NBA Finals and East Finals, so he knows full-well what it takes to build a winner. He stressed on Tuesday that it’s never too early to start building a winning culture, and he did everything in his power to ram home that point to his players in the first work out.
``The goal has to be that by the time that we start on Sept. 26 (for training camp) that the players don’t feel like it’s the first day that we’ve worked together,’’ said Clifford, head coach of the Charlotte Hornets in the five years prior to taking the Magic job. ``That’s why having so many of these (roster) guys here is a big advantage. … Just having a chance to be out there and see who learns quickly and start to develop a player/coach relationship is important.’’
The relationship between Bamba and Clifford is already well underway and the impressionable, young big man is already floored by his new coach’s basketball knowledge and willingness to do whatever it takes to make the Magic successful. Bamba said that Clifford gave him that message on the night that he was drafted and not long after when they dined together in Orlando.
``The first time I met (Clifford) it was about establishing culture,’’ Bamba said. ``He’s talking about the playoffs already and it’s exciting seeing a coach who’s as invested into the game as you.’’
Another big component of the summer league is allowing Bamba to play alongside forward Jonathan Isaac, the Magic’s No. 6 pick in 2017. Isaac and Bamba are both native New Yorkers and have known each other for years, easing their transition to one another and making the chemistry building a bit easier. Bamba has said that he’s looked up to the older Isaac for years, and he’s thankful he has him around now to give him advice while also helping to build a formidable, shot-swatting front line.
``I’ve gotten a lot of advice from him,’’ Bamba admitted. ``Obviously, on the court you get a lot of advice in terms of spacing and where to go so that you’re not being blind-sided by anything. But a lot of stuff comes from being off the court and things such as your timing of things, your sharpness (in drills) and being punctual. In a lot of ways, he’s giving me the blue print.
``We talk a lot about high-low situations and playing off one another,’’ Bamba continued, referring to his budding partnership with Isaac. ``He’s a really good shooter and my jump shot is developing at a constant pace. It’s going to be awesome to play inside/outside with him.’’
Before Bamba got to any of that on-court chatter on Tuesday, he first had to sign his first pro contract on Monday night before Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond. Bamba said that surreal moment – combined with the joyous feelings he experienced at the NBA Draft – have helped him to fully realize that his first steps on this professional journey are underway.
``This is real. I’d say that was probably like the `it moment,’’’ he said with a wide smile. ``The draft was also a good, shining moment and an `it moment,’ but signing that contract and seeing all the language, reading it and going through it, it was like, `Oh, this is real.’’’
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