CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers found themselves a solid prospect in the second round of the NBA draft on Thursday when they selected UCLA big man Adem Bona with the No. 41 overall pick. It never hurts to add the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year to the roster.
Bona averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks as a sophomore with the Bruins. He will now look to carry those numbers and that energy to his NBA career with the Sixers.
The big man had to make a quick turnaround after being drafted on Thursday to making the trip down to the Sixers practice facility on Friday as he discussed the emotions he has gone through.
“It’s been amazing,” Bona said on Friday. “I felt everything. Happiness, sadness, joy, every emotion just hit me at the same time. It’s just unreal to get your name called. Like, I still can’t believe it. I’m an NBA player right now. We worked towards this goal every single day of our life to get to the NBA. We’re here now so it’s pretty exciting.”
The Sixers will be counting on Bona to bring a high energy level to the Sixers on a nightly basis. With the uncertainty surrounding Paul Reed’s future, there is a small chance that Bona will make an impact as the backup to Joel Embiid.
Speaking of Embiid, the rookie big man is excited to learn from the superstar MVP.
“We have similar roots,” he stated. “He’s African. I am African, too. Playing against him, going against him every day is going to be a handful for me and also, it’s gonna be a learning process for me to be able to learn from such an amazing player, it’s really gonna be a good step for me towards my career. Practicing against him every day and going against him in practice, I think that’s going to help me in my progression.”
Rookie Adem Bona on learning and playing with Joel Embiid #Sixers pic.twitter.com/U0B9b3VAjJ
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) June 28, 2024
As far as the expectations for himself, Bona is just ready to get to work and give the Sixers a competitor on a nightly basis.
“I spoke with the front office pretty much after I got drafted,” he explained. “I can feel the energy truly form. I can tell what the organization is about. They’re hard-working, the expectations, it’s an amazing program. We’re a part of a great team and it’s really exciting to be here. I can’t wait to get to work.”
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