Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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‘I’m big on it’: For former Longhorn Mo Bamba, it’s been a summer full of Fortnite

Bamba_Anthony
Anthony Mireles

To say the summer has been busy for former Longhorn Mo Bamba would be an understatement.

Spare time has been at a premium for the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. Whether it be the rookie symposium, Panini autograph signings or playing pickup with two of the NBA’s best young talents, Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid, Bamba has not found much free time heading into his rookie season.

But when Bamba finds some alone time, it is normally spent playing one game: Fortnite.


“I’m big on it,” Bamba said regarding the game. “I’ve got a couple solo (wins), a bunch of squad and duo wins but those don’t really count.”

If the basketball thing doesn’t work out for the 7-foot-1-inch center, perhaps video game streaming would suffice as an alternative. He’s already found himself in matches with some of the most famous gamers in the world. 

“We’re going to figure out the most efficient way to start streaming,” Bamba said. “I played with (Ninja) actually. He was insane.”

Tyler Blevins, famously known as Ninja in the gaming universe, has accumulated the most followers on the Twitch streaming service with more than 10.6 million subscribers. Ninja has accumulated a net worth of over $6,000,000 while growing a reputation as one of the best gamers to ever play the game.

Fortnite, however, has not pushed basketball down Bamba’s list of priorities.

“I have been trying to work on areas I’m already strong at, and expand after that as far as different (skills),” Bamba said. “I’ve been working on my game and working on my body.”

Bamba said he did not have any expectations for his numbers during his inaugural season. His only focus is to win games.

The Magic and Ninja aren’t the only ones who have taken a liking to Bamba, though. Harlem-native Shack West released the track, “Mo Bamba,” this summer. The track has reached 23.7 million plays on Spotify and has become an anthem for the former Longhorn.

Bamba also found himself being name dropped by Travis Scott on his most recent album, Astroworld, which has now been ranked No. 1 for two straight weeks on Billboard Top 100.

Obviously, the rookie circuit requires Bamba to be around the 2018 NBA Draft class quite often, which also involves former Oklahoma Sooner Trae Young. The two faced off twice last season during conference play, with Bamba and the Longhorns victorious in both meetings.

“Everytime I see him, I remind him that he’s 0–2 against me,” Bamba said. “It’s fun and games, but it’s definitely one thing that I hold over his head.”

Bamba went on to say Young probably had a good view of his reverse alley-oop dunk at home that helped seal the 79-74 upset at home.

Despite the fact that Young was drafted higher than his college rival, Bamba made one thing clear:

“OU sucks.”

 

The full interview can be found on the Sports Update Podcast show on the Apple Podcast App.
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‘I’m big on it’: For former Longhorn Mo Bamba, it’s been a summer full of Fortnite