Adem Bona

Turkish basketball player (born 2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Adem Bona Okoro (born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro; 28 March 2003) is a Nigerian-Turkish professional 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. He was selected by the 76ers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.

Quick Facts No. 30 – Philadelphia 76ers, Position ...
Adem Bona
No. 30 Philadelphia 76ers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-03-28) 28 March 2003 (age 22)
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
Drafted byPhiladelphia 76ers
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Pınar Karşıyaka
2024–presentPhiladelphia 76ers
2024Delaware Blue Coats
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Turkey
FIBA U18 European Championship
2019 GreeceTeam
FIBA U16 European Championship
2018 SerbiaTeam
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Early life and career

Adem Bona Okoro was born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro in Lagos, Nigeria, as the youngest of five children.[1][2] He grew up playing association football as a midfielder but switched to basketball due to his height.[3] 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.[4] At age 13, Bona moved to Turkey, leaving behind the rest of his family, and began his career with Istanbul Basket.[3][5] In February 2019, he moved to Pınar Karşıyaka and continued competing at the youth level.[6]

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.[7] On 16 November, he debuted in the Basketball Super League (BSL), scoring two points in an 84–55 victory over Galatasaray.[8]

High school career

Summarize
Perspective

On 18 September 2020, it was announced that Bona would continue his career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California.[9]

Recruiting

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.

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting information
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 
Star ratings: Rivals:Thumb   247Sports:Thumb    ESPN:Thumb   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.
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College career

Summarize
Perspective

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.[10] 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.[10][11][12] He won consecutive freshman of the week honors after grabbing 10 rebounds along with two blocked shots to help UCLA beat USC.[10][13] On 2 March, Bona had a career-high 11 rebounds against Arizona State.[1] 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 NBA draft. He finished with 115 career blocks, which ranked sixth in Bruins' history.[28]

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers / Delaware Blue Coats (2024–present)

On 21 July 2024, Bona was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft with the 41st overall pick.[29][30] He made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 124-109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[31] Throughout his rookie season, Bona has been assigned several times to the Delaware Blue Coats.[32]

National team career

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.[33]

Career statistics

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

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 UCLA 333222.9.675.5735.3.7.61.77.7
2023–24 UCLA 333326.5.588.000.6965.91.21.11.812.4
Career 666524.7.621.000.6525.61.0.81.710.1
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Source:[34]

Personal life

In April 2018, Okoro became a Turkish citizen and officially changed his name to Adem Bona.[3] He named himself after Adam in Islam.[2]

References

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