Magic say Mo Bamba out for year; center had COVID-19 in June

Mo Bamba Magic

Mo Bamba #5 of the Orlando Magic celebrates with teammates on the bench after Wes Iwundu (not pictured) made a three-point shot in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 5, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images/AFP

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida — Mo Bamba will not play for the Orlando Magic in this season’s playoffs, after the team announced Friday that he has left the bubble for testing related to his previous bout with coronavirus.

Bamba was diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 11. The 22-year-old appeared in 62 games with the Magic this season but logged only 11 minutes of action in Orlando’s first two seeding games at Walt Disney World.

He did not appear in any of Orlando’s final six seeding games.

“On the advice of the Magic’s human performance staff and team physicians, Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has left the NBA campus for a comprehensive post-Coronavirus evaluation,” the team said in a release Friday announcing the move.

The 7-foot Bamba averaged 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Magic this season. He was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft.

Orlando plays Milwaukee in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

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