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Adem Bona

Adem Bona (born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro; 28 March 2003) is a Nigerian-Turkish basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Named a McDonald's All-American in high school, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023. Bona was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

Adem Bona
No. 30 – Philadelphia 76ers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-03-28) 28 March 2003 (age 21)
Lagos, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian / Turkish
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolProlific Prep (Napa, California)
CollegeUCLA (2022–2024)
NBA draft2024: 2nd round, 41st overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Pınar Karşıyaka
2024–presentPhiladelphia 76ers
2024→Delaware Blue Coats
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Turkey
FIBA U18 European Championship
Silver medal – second place 2019 Greece Team
FIBA U16 European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Serbia Team

Early life and career

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Bona was born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro in Lagos, Nigeria, as the youngest of five children.[1] He grew up playing association football as a midfielder but switched to basketball due to his height.[2] He often played basketball with makeshift hoops in fields, sometimes without a ball. Okoro was playing for about one year when a video of him drew the attention of Turkish coach Türkay Çakıroğlu, who then contacted Istanbul Basket coach Nevzat Özdemir.[3] At age 13, Bona moved to Turkey, leaving behind the rest of his family, and began his career with Istanbul Basket.[2][4] In February 2019, he moved to Pınar Karşıyaka and continued competing at the youth level.[5]

On 30 October 2019, Bona made his professional debut for Pınar Karşıyaka, playing one minute in a 77–57 win over Donar in the FIBA Europe Cup.[6] On 16 November, he debuted in the Basketball Super League (BSL), scoring two points in an 84–55 victory over Galatasaray.[7]

High school career

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On 18 September 2020, it was announced that Bona would continue his career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California.[8]

Recruiting

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Bona was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On 1 November 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over an offer from Kentucky.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Adem Bona
C 		Lagos, Nigeria Prolific Prep (CA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 1, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars    247Sports:5/5 stars     ESPN:5/5 stars    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 21  247Sports: 11  ESPN: 13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "UCLA 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  • "2022 UCLA Bruins Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.

College career

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As a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2022–23, Bona improved after about a month of foul trouble and dropped passes.[9] On 2 January 2023, he was named the Pac-12's freshman of the week after scoring the go-ahead basket in a comeback win over Washington State, followed by a season-high 18 points and three blocks in a victory against Washington.[9][10][11] He won consecutive freshman of the week honors after grabbing 10 rebounds along with two blocked shots to help UCLA beat USC.[9][12] On 2 March, Bona had a career-high 11 rebounds against Arizona State.[13] In the 2023 Pac-12 tournament, he injured his left shoulder in the semifinals against Oregon.[14] He missed the finals against Arizona, who defeated UCLA for the title.[15]

The Bruins received a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament. Bona was cleared to return in their opener, but he did not play in the 86–53 blowout over No. 15 seed UNC Asheville.[16] He returned in the following game against Northwestern, but reaggravated his shoulder during the game late in the game. He was out for two minutes before returning to make a key block in the final minutes to help secure a 68–63 win over the seventh-seeded Wildcats.[17][18][19] He was sidelined again for their next game against Gonzaga, which UCLA lost 79–76.[20] For the season, Bona started 32 games and averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game,[21] and led the Bruins with 57 blocks.[22] He converted 67.5% of his field goals, which ranked second in the Pac-12.[22] He was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive and Pac-12 All-Freshman teams and was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He also received honorable mention for the All-Pac-12 team.[23] After the season, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft, while retaining his college eligibility.[22] Following surgery for a torn labrum in April, which prevented him from engaging in individual workouts prior to the draft, Bona withdrew from the draft.[21]

While recovering from his injury, Bona added a midrange jump shot and post moves to his offensive game.[24] He did not play in the Bruins' tour of Spain or in their exhibition game. In their 2023–24 season opener, he had career-highs of 28 points and four blocks in a 75–44 win over Saint Francis. He also had nine rebounds.[25][26] Bona was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the second consecutive Bruin to win the award after Jaylen Clark in 2023.[27] He averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, but continued to get into foul trouble. After the season, Bona announced that he was leaving UCLA and declaring for the 2024 NBA draft. He finished with 115 career blocks, which ranked sixth in Bruins' history.[28]

Professional career

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Philadelphia 76ers (2024–present)

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On 21 July 2024, Bona was selected with the 41st overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2024 NBA draft.[29][30]

Bona made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 124-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[31]

National team career

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At the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Bona averaged 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and four blocks per game, leading Turkey to fifth place. He ranked second at the tournament in rebounds and blocks and was named to the All-Star Five.[32]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 UCLA 33 32 22.9 .675 — .573 5.3 .7 .6 1.7 7.7
2023–24 UCLA 33 33 26.5 .588 .000 .696 5.9 1.2 1.1 1.8 12.4
Career 66 65 24.7 .621 .000 .652 5.6 1.0 .8 1.7 10.1

Source:[33]

Personal life

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In April 2018, Okoro became a Turkish citizen and officially changed his name to Adem Bona.[2] He named himself after Adam in Islam.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Adem Bona kimdir?" (in Turkish). ABCSpor. August 5, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Finally playing with same age, Bona takes leadership role in quest for podium top step". FIBA. August 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Arıöz, Levent (March 9, 2019). "Yeni Bobby Adem". 9 Eylül Gazetesi (in Turkish). Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Karşınızda Adem Bona" (in Turkish). TRT Spor. August 18, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Adem Bona'yı Pınar Karşıyaka Kaptı!" (in Turkish). Eurohoops. February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "Pınar Karşıyaka, Groningen'e fark attı! 16 yaşındaki Adem Bona ilk kez..." Hürriyet (in Turkish). October 31, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Adem Bona: "Gösterdikleri Destekten Ötürü Taraftarlarımıza Teşekkür Ediyorum"" (in Turkish). Karşıyaka Basket. November 16, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Robledillo, Albert (September 18, 2020). "Adem Bona ('03) chooses USA over Europe". Eurohopes. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Bolch, Ben (January 19, 2023). "Making everywhere he goes his happy place, Adem Bona is a rising star for UCLA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 1, 2023). "Adem Bona takes charge for No. 11 UCLA in blowout win over Washington". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - January 2, 2023". Pac-12 Conference. January 2, 2023. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - January 9, 2023". Pac-12 Conference. January 9, 2023. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  13. ^ "Adem Bona". UCLA Athletics. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Grosbard, Adam (March 11, 2023). "Undersized UCLA loses thrilling Pac-12 Tournament title game to Arizona". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 11, 2023). "UCLA falls to Arizona in Pac-12 title game, hurting chances for a No. 1 NCAA seed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 16, 2023). "UCLA dodges upset trend, opens NCAA tournament with rout of UNC Asheville". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  17. ^ Hernandez, Dylan (March 18, 2023). "Don't fret about UCLA. Resilience is part of the Bruins' March Madness style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Fattal, Tarek (March 18, 2023). "UCLA edges Northwestern to advance to 3rd straight Sweet Sixteen". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  19. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 21, 2023). "UCLA will need new strategy for Drew Timme if Adem Bona, David Singleton out vs. Gonzaga". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 23, 2023). "Jubilation turns into heartbreak as UCLA loses to Gonzaga again in NCAA tournament". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "UCLA's Adem Bona returning, Jaylen Clark remains in NBA draft". The Orange County Register. May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Bolch, Ben (April 19, 2023). "UCLA's Adem Bona declares for NBA draft but will preserve college eligibility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "2022-23 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Bolch, Ben (November 6, 2023). "Stopping the biggest UCLA team of the Mick Cronin era could be a tall order". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  25. ^ Bolch, Ben (November 10, 2023). "Adem Bona lives up to his billing as UCLA's best player in season-opening win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  26. ^ Davis, John (November 6, 2023). "UCLA routs St. Francis in season opener to give Mick Cronin a milestone win". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  27. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 12, 2024). "Keeping it in the UCLA family, Adem Bona wins Pac-12 defensive player of the year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  28. ^ Bolch, Ben (April 12, 2024). "UCLA's Adem Bona declares for NBA draft and bids farewell after two seasons". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "PHILADELPHIA 76ERS SIGN 2024 SECOND-ROUND DRAFT PICK ADEM BONA". NBA.com. July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  30. ^ Siegel, Brett (June 27, 2024). "Kyle Filipowski to Jazz headlines best picks of 2024 NBA Draft 2nd round". ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  31. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers Box Score, October 23, 2024". BasketballRef. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  32. ^ "MVP Dominguez headlines All-Star Five in Udine". FIBA. August 17, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  33. ^ "Adem Bona College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
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