Former Longhorn, Magic C Mohamed Bamba out indefinitely with stress fracture

Former Texas Longhorns big man Mohamed Bamba’s rookie season may have potentially reached its end ahead of the NBA All-Star break.

On Tuesday, the Orlando Magic rookie was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower left leg and is out indefinitely, the Magic announced in a statement.

“Thankfully we caught this early and are able to treat Mo without surgery,” said Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman. “His return to action will depend on how he responds to treatment.”

According to the Magic, Bamba suffered through pain in his left foot on Jan. 9, and as a result, Orlando took precautionary steps to make sure the injury wasn’t aggravated or worsened and restricted Bamba for the next four games.

The two injuries are not thought to be related, according to a report on the Magic’s website.

Although, for someone of Bamba’s height, injuries to the legs and feet can often be more troublesome. For now it appears Bamba won’t need surgery to repair the stress fracture in his tibia, though a timeline on his return has not been announced. By not going under the knife, the Magic hope Bamba will be able to return to the floor sooner than later.

Prior to the pain in his foot and the stress fracture to his leg, Bamba was experiencing a successful rookie year.

The Texas Ex was averaging 6.2 points and five rebounds in 46 games off the bench this season; modest, yet encouraging stats in an average of about 16 minutes per game.

The good news for Bamba and the Magic: his incredible 7’4 wingspan is intact and functioning fine. Bamba has recorded a total of 64 blocks this season and is shooting 30 percent from three-point range.