The versatile threat out on the wing, Oregon Ducks’ TJ Bamba, has garnered some early interest from some NBA teams before the 2025 NBA Draft in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.
Bamba has worked out for the following organizations, according to HoopsHype:
Milwaukee Bucks
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards
Bamba was named to the Big Ten Conference’s All-Defensive Team and named a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, given to the top defensive player in Division I, in his final season of college basketball with Oregon. He started his career with the Washington State Cougars from 2020-23, and then the Villanova Wildcats in 2023-24 before ending up in Eugene. Bamba led the Ducks in both assists (3.0 per game) and steals (1.8 per game). He also chipped in 10. 5 points and 3.4 rebounds while starting all 35 games.
At 6-5 and 210 pounds, he can play physical, guard the one through four position, and isn’t afraid to defend an opposing team’s top scorer. His field goal percentage (38.9) and three-point percentage (25.3) in his senior season with Oregon dropped significantly, but he still holds a career average of 41.4 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc. That comes in 154 career games played, 119 of those being starts.
“You can impact the game just as much as on defense as on offense. Stops matter just as much and it creates energy, not just for yourself, but for your team. I took that to heart and I embraced it. Just being that two-way guy, a lockdown defender… good things came from it.”
– TJ Bamba via Greenlight Media
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In an interview with Greenlight Media, Bamba explains why NBA teams should take a chance on him through the draft.
It’s simple, I’m a worker. I’m competitive. I feel like I’m disciplined. My determination is to be great, be off the charts. Every single day I wake up, I think about how much better I can get. Where can I go to put myself in a better position to become who I want to be? With that mindset, I feel like there’s no stopping me.”
– TJ Bamba via Greenlight Media
“My trainer and mentor always harped on me about playing defense, being the best defender there is, because that’s not a skill that everyone has. People can want to do it, but not everybody’s capable.”
– TJ Bamba via Greenlight Media
The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft will be on Wednesday, June 25, at 5:00 p.m. PT. The second round will be the following day, on Thursday, June 25, at 5:00 p.m. PT. The event can be viewed on ABC and ESPN.
No NBA mock drafts across the major media publications have the Bronx native being selected as one of the 59 to hear their name called. Bamba will most likely find his way onto an NBA G-League team, acting as a 3-and-D type of player if his three-point shot can continue to become more reliable.
