Is TJ Bamba Related To Mo Bamba? Relation & Age Gap

Contrary to popular belief, TJ Bamba is not related to Mo Bamba in any manner.

They may have the same name and play the same sports but are unrelated.

Mo Bamba (Mo Karlakwan Damala Bamba) was born on May 12, 1998.

He is an American-Ivorian professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers.

The New York native moved to Denver, Colorado, where he would make a life-changing decision.

TJ completed high school at Abraham Lincoln High School and played basketball. He is currently affiliated with the Villanova Wildcats.

Mo was a Texas Longhorns basketball player during his collegiate career.

In the eighth and ninth grades, he attended Cardigan Mountain School, an all-boys residential school in Canaan, New Hampshire.

Is TJ Bamba Related To Mo Bamba?

Besides sharing similar names, TJ Bamba and Mo Bamba have some things in common.

Firstly, both of them are basketball players. Plus, both of them were also born in New York.  

Ethnicity is also another determining factor of the two players’ relationship. Both of Mo’s parents emigrated to the States from the Ivory Coast. 

Mo Bamba was eligible to play for the Ivory Coast national team due to his Ivorian ancestry.

He was included in the preliminary roster for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023. 

But there doesn’t seem to be any familial or bloodline connection between the two.

TJ is the son of Sanah and Mahmoud Cisse. He has five siblings: Najat, Jibril, Idris, Jahan, and Suhailah.

On the other hand, Mo was born into the household of Lancine Bamba and Aminata Johnson. 

Bamba’s grandparents were both born and raised in Mali. Sidiki Johnson, his older brother, played college basketball at Arizona, Providence, and Wabash Valley.

His estranged brother Ibrahim Johnson, who played college basketball at Farmingdale State and Montevallo, was also a member of his family.

No matter how deep one digs into the family tree of the two basketball stars, they fail to establish a firm relationship between them. 

Mo’s Injury Update

Despite a season marred by injuries for the Los Angeles Lakers, they regained health just in time for the postseason and have maintained that status.

The only setback has been center Mo Bamba, who, grappling with an ankle injury, has been the sole player sidelined during the playoffs.

Bamba initially incurred a high ankle sprain on March 5 against the Golden State Warriors, sidelining him for a month but enabling his return for the playoffs.

Despite attempts to reintegrate into the rotations, ongoing ankle issues forced him to be inactive for the entire second-round series against the Warriors.

Recent reports suggest Bamba received an injection to aid his recovery. Although the timing remains uncertain, signs of progress in Bamba’s recovery are encouraging.