TJ Bamba

TJ Bamba
TJ Bamba in 2026
No. 1 – La Laguna Tenerife
PositionShooting guard
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (2001-01-06) January 6, 2001 (age 25)
Bronx, New York, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight
215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
College
2025: undrafted
Playing career
2025–present
Career history
2025–2026Rasta Vechta
2026–presentLa Laguna Tenerife

Ahmed Tijani "TJ" Bamba (born January 6, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for La Laguna Tenerife of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars, Villanova Wildcats, and Oregon Ducks.

Early life and high school career

Bamba was born in the Bronx. At the age of seven, he was sent to Senegal to study Islam and the Arabic language. Bamba returned to the United States to attend Kipp High School in the Bronx. After his sophomore season, he began to take basketball more seriously and transferred to Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, Colorado, moving in with an aunt and uncle. Bamba averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a junior. As a senior, he averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds per game, garnering all-state honors. Rated a two-star recruit, Bamba committed to play college basketball at Washington State over offers from McNeese State, Towson, Northern Colorado, University of Illinois-Chicago and Stony Brook.

College career

Bamba made four starts as a freshman and averaged 4.2 points per game. He averaged 7.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He was hampered somewhat by a hand injury during his junior season but managed to have a breakout year. As a junior, Bamba averaged 15.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game and was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention. He opted to transfer to Villanova after the season. Bamba averaged 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Wildcats. Following the season he transferred to Oregon. Bamba averaged 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game for the Ducks. He earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors and was a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award.

Professional career

After not being selected in the 2025 NBA draft, Bamba joined the Brooklyn Nets for NBA Summer League play. He later signed with Rasta Vechta of the Basketball Bundesliga.

On July 20, 2026, Bamba signed with La Laguna Tenerife of the Liga ACB.

References

  1. ↑ "TJ Bamba, wise beyond his age". Pac-12 Conference. June 16, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  2. ↑ Lazarus, Jack (April 7, 2025). "TJ Bamba: an unconventional path". The Daily Emerald. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Lawson, Theo (November 16, 2019). "Washington State inks first player in 2020 recruiting class, adding combo guard TJ Bamba". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  4. ↑ Clark, Colton (March 6, 2023). "'We'll never put a ceiling on how good he can be': Ever-improving guard TJ Bamba leads Washington State into Pac-12 tournament". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  5. ↑ Gershon, Aaron (April 19, 2024). "Kentucky makes Villanova transfer G TJ Bamba's final six". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  6. ↑ Clark, Colton (April 14, 2023). "Former Washington State guard TJ Bamba commits to Villanova". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (April 14, 2025). "TJ Bamba plans transfer to Villanova, views as step to NBA". ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  8. ↑ Hansen, Chris (May 2, 2024). "Oregon men's basketball adds former Villanova guard TJ Bamba from transfer portal". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  9. ↑ Rose, Aaron (May 28, 2025). "Toronto Raptors Take Closer Look at Oregon's TJ Bamba Before NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  10. ↑ Prehm, Matt (June 27, 2025). "TJ Bamba signs with Brooklyn Nets ahead of NBA Summer League". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Weekly NewsWolves hand Bayern third straight loss / Trier win twice, keep top scorer Roland until 2028 / Braunschweig with sign of life". Basketball Bundesliga. April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "TJ Bamba, un todoterreno para La Laguna Tenerife". acb.com (in Spanish). July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 20, 2026.