Philadelphia Sixers star Joel Embiid isn't renowned for his recruiting ability like a few other stars in the NBA are, but it's possible that's starting to change. Embiid, the reigning MVP of the league, apparently played a major factor in the signing of Mo Bamba this offseason, who became a free agent after spending the end of last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Joel Embiid was vocal about wanting Bamba to choose the Sixers, as Bamba told Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire.
“Jo was probably the biggest in recruiting me,” Bamba said. “Everyone else was ‘Hey, it would be nice to have you,’ but Jo was probably the biggest. He was the first person that kind of like, helped me have that light bulb turned on at the time of free agency. I was looking at a few other teams, but Jo — and it was just a conversation that came up in passing and we revisited the conversation and he was like, ‘Listen, I’m not telling you where to go. At the end of the day, you’re in charge of your own career, but it’d be good to have you in the city.’ ”
Mo Bamba is expected to be the primary backup to Embiid this season, as Montrezl Harrell tore his ACL earlier this offseason. The opportunity for Bamba to play meaningful minutes on a contender will be a relatively new role for him, as Bamba shuffled between being a starter and reserve in his first five seasons with the Magic.
Still only 25 years old, Mo Bamba should learn plenty going up against Joel Embiid in practice, who played a big role in bringing him to play for the Sixers.
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