UCLA forward Adem Bona on Wednesday told Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he will withdraw from the 2023 NBA draft and return to school for his sophomore year.
Bona, who was born in Nigeria, was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks on 67.5% shooting from the field. He ranked second in the conference in field-goal percentage and fourth in blocks.
The 6-foot-10 Bona was among the players invited to the draft combine in May in Chicago, Illinois. He did not participate in on-court testing after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum suffered in the conference tournament.
He is expected to make a full recovery by October.
Bona opted to return, in part, because of his injury. He was viewed as a potential second-round pick this year but didn’t have the opportunity to improve his stock in team workouts or at the combine. He will spend next season working on his game with the goal of becoming a first-round pick.
He had until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday to withdraw from the draft.
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