New Sixer Mo Bamba Makes Surprising Appearance at Local School

Sixers center Mo Bamba surprised students and teachers at a Philly school on Thursday.

Before suiting up with the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time, Mo Bamba is getting involved with the community. 

On Thursday, Bamba was a surprise guest at General George A. McCall School in Philadelphia. As a part of the Sixers’ Back-to-School Tip-Off tour, Bamba joined members of the Sixers’ organization in putting on a pep rally assembly for the students and teachers in attendance.

Also, Sixers CEO Tad Brown and Limited Partner David Adelman surprised teachers in attendance by letting them know they would receive a $250 gift card from Five Below. 

The initial plan for the three-day tour was to issue $500 gift cards to select teachers, who were picked by the school's principal based on being deserving by going above and beyond in the classroom. 

However, Brown and Adelman decided they would give every teacher on the tour a gift.

Sixers CEO Tad Brown, Limited Partner David Adelman, and center Mo Bamba surprise students on the Five Below Back-to-School Tour. 

The tour started on Wednesday afternoon at H.B. Wilson School in Camden, New Jersey. Second-year Sixer Danuel House Jr. was a part of the event, surprising teachers and students in attendance and participating in a Q&A session. 

Thursday served as a great opportunity for Bamba to get familiar with Philadelphia before he fires up his first season in the City of Brotherly Love. 

The Harlem, New York-born center is looking to carve out a role for himself after starting his career as a former sixth-overall pick for the Orlando Magic. 

When Bamba joined the Magic after a successful run at Texas, he was a reserve for all but six of his first 155 NBA games. 

During the 2021-2022 NBA season, Bamba started in 69 of the 71 games he appeared in, averaging a career-high 26 minutes on the floor. After putting on a career-best season, putting up 11 points and eight rebounds per outing in 2021-2022, Bamba returned in a reserve role once again last year.

After appearing in 40 games with the Magic during the 2022-2023 season, Bamba found himself involved in a trade deadline deal. In a four-team trade, the Magic sent Bamba to the Los Angeles Lakers. The young veteran finished the regular season by appearing in nine games with the Lakers. In the playoffs, he took the court for an average of three minutes across three games.

This summer, Bamba hit the free agency market for the first time in his career. As the Lakers moved on, Bamba saw an opportunity to ink a deal with the 76ers. He will be one of two centers who will join the 76ers for the first time this season, joining the former second-round pick, Filip Petrusev.