The two were teammates in the summer of 2016 with the PSA Cardinals, a Nike Elite Youth Basketball League team based in New York. Bamba was 18 and heading into his senior year of high school, while Anthony was 16 and about to be a sophomore. The two remain close friends.
After Orlando selected Anthony in the first round of last month’s NBA draft, he was asked if there were any Magic players he was most looking forward to working with. Anthony said he was eager to play alongside all of them, but one definitely more than any other.