Tag: Adem Bona

Adem Bona makes regular season NBA debut

Adem Bona gets run on Opening night!

Former UCLA Bruins basketball star Adem Bona was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2024 NBA Draft.

He ended up making the roster and then didn’t take long to see some action in the season opener for the Sixers.

On Wednesday night, Bona got some run with the Milwaukee Bucks leading comfortably in the fourth quarter.

However, Bona scored a basket and had a rebound in just two minutes.

The Bucks ended up winning easily, 124-109, although the Sixers didn’t have Paul George or Joel Embiid on the floor for the first game of the season.

Bona joined rookie Jared McCain and as the first year players to get some playing time on opening night.

The Sixers next face off against the Toronto Raptors on the road on Friday night, so we will continue to monitor and see how Bona does during his first season in the NBA.

Adem Bona wraps up NBA Summer League 2024

A good performance by Adem Bona.

Former UCLA Bruins big man, and now Philadelphia 76ers rookie Adem Bona finished up NBA Summer League over the weekend. Bona, who projects to be a backup for Joel Embiid put in some nice work over the summer. Here is a recap of his games in Vegas:

Game 1 against Detroit – Bona played 23 minutes, and was 4 for 4 from the field. Bona had 7 rebounds and finished with 8 points.

Game 2 against Portland saw Bona go 4 for 6, and once again score 8 points. He recorded four rebounds in the game. Bona had to learn a little defense in his 21 minutes, getting called for 7 fouls in the game. He also had three turnovers.

Game 3 was against Minnesota. In this game, he played 23:00 and once again was called for 7 fouls. Bona was 3 for 4 from the line and 4 for 4 from the free throw line. He scored 10 points and ripped down 9 rebounds in the game. He did turn it over 5 times.

The 4th game was against San Antonio. The 76ers won the game by 16 points. Bona was pretty quiet, taking 1 shot in 22:00. He scored a single point and had 3 rebounds in the game. He was +10 while on the court in this game.

Finally, his summer league finale on Sunday against the Celtics saw him score 2 points, and record 2 rebounds in a win.

The 76ers open the 2024-2025 season in late October. Their first preseason game is slated for October 11th in Iowa.

 

Sixers officially sign No. 41 overall pick Adem Bona to rookie contract

Former UCLA center Adem Bona signed his rookie contract with the 76ers on Sunday.

Former UCLA center Adem Bona, the 41st pick in the 2024 NBA draft, signed his rookie contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, the team announced.

The contract is reportedly worth $8 million over four years, with a team option in the final season. He was likely signed via the second-round pick exception, which was introduced in the new collective bargaining agreement last year.

He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last season as a sophomore after averaging 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals on 58.8% shooting from the field. He ranked second in blocks and third in field-goal percentage.

Bona debuted with the Sixers this month in summer league, averaging 5.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in eight games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He ranked sixth in blocked shots among all players in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-10 standout had a strong showing this month, proving why the team selected him in the second round with his elite rim protection. He has also displayed great instincts to anticipate plays on defense and looks to be grasping coverages and other reads very well.

Bona is still a bit raw offensively but has the skill set on defense to impact games next season. His progression and development throughout his rookie campaign should be worth watching.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=1415]

Adem Bona signs 4-year, $8 million deal with 76ers

Adem Bona gets a nice contract.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected UCLA Bruins big man Adem Bona at No. 41 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Well, it didn’t take long for Bona to make a positive impression with the 76ers.

Just weeks after the draft, he signed a four-year deal worth $8 million, per a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Bona has played well in Summer League and garnered plenty of attention during practices over a few weeks, prompting the 76ers to hand him a decent contract, especially for a second-round draft pick.

The big man played just two seasons in Westwood before declaring for the NBA Draft. In 2023-2024, he was a massive part of Mick Cronin’s rotation, averaging 12.4 PPG with 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while playing in 33 games.

Going into the NBA Draft, BOna was projected to go anywhere from the end of the first round to the second round, but the 76ers have become a great landing spot as he can now learn from All-Star center Joel Embiid. 

Report: Adem Bona to sign 4-year, $8 million rookie contract with Sixers

Former UCLA center Adem Bona has reportedly agreed to sign a four-year, $8 million rookie contract with the 76ers.

Former UCLA center Adem Bona has reportedly agreed to sign a four-year, $8 million rookie contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The organization likely signed Bona using the second-round pick exception, which was introduced in the new collective bargaining agreement last year. The contract will include a team option in the final year for the 2027-28 season.

Bona, the 41st pick in the NBA draft, was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last season after averaging 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals on 58.8% shooting from the field. He ranked second in blocks and third in field-goal percentage.

Bona debuted with the Sixers this month in summer league, averaging 6.3 points, six rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in four appearances so far between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He recorded eight points, seven rebounds and five blocks on Saturday.

The 6-foot-10 standout has had a strong start, showcasing why the team selected him in the second round with his elite rim protection. He has also displayed great instincts to anticipate plays on defense and looks to be grasping coverages and other reads very well.

Bona is still a bit raw offensively but has the skill set on defense to impact games next season. His progression and development throughout his rookie campaign should be worth watching.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=1415]

Report: Sixers, rookie Adem Bona agree on 4-year $8 million deal

The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly agreed to a 4-year $8 million deal with rookie big man Adem Bona.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Adem Bona with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft as they like what the big man brings to the table in terms of his energy and defensive ability.

Bona has been terrific on the defensive end to begin the summer league as he’s averaging 3.5 blocks in the first four games of the summer circuit per Real GM. Three of those games in Salt Lake City and the other in Las Vegas where he had five blocks to begin the Vegas summer league on Saturday.

As Bona looks to prepare for his rookie season, he and the Sixers have reportedly agreed to a 4-year $8 million deal.

Bona and the Sixers will look to continue his development in the summer league on Monday when Philadelphia takes on the Portland Trail Blazers. He will be matched up with No. 7 overall pick Donovan Clingan as he looks to show off his skill against the young Portland big man.

 

Trio of former UCLA Bruins Basketball players in NBA Summer League

Summer League is here.

The UCLA Bruins basketball alumni will be well represented as the NBA Summer League takes place in Las Vegas. When the action starts on Friday three former Bruins will be on the main stage.

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Amari Bailey, who was with Charlotte last season and will be part of their roster. Bailey, who is just 20 years old is looking for his break to get time next season in the league.

Adem Bona is with the Philadelphia 76ers. Of course, he is the newest member, as he was drafted at the end of the month. Bona is excited to join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, but first, he will look to lead the summer league squad.

Finally, Jaylen Clark is with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves went to the Western Conference Finals a season ago, but Clark was out with an injury. The 22-year-old is another looking to make his own break with the squad.

The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas will run through July 22nd.

Adem Bona credits his basketball abilities to his soccer experience

Adem Bona’s unique skill set is paying off.

Adem Bona, growing up in Nigeria, and then moving to Turkey has some other experiences outside of basketball that have prepared him for his basketball career.

The 6’8, 243lbs big man was first-team Pac-12 in 2024, won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award, and the previous season was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award.

Bona has experience playing at the FIBA U18 European Championships in Greece with Team Turkey. He also played in the U16 FIBA European Championships with Serbia in 2018.

The 21-year-old, who was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft credits much of his ability to play basketball to the game of soccer. Bona had this to say about his soccer days, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire:

“Growing up, I played soccer, I think that helped with my speed and my agility and my mobileness—the way I move on the floor. Also, playing at UCLA, I played behind the Defensive Player of the Year my freshman year in Jaylen Clark. I think that kind of opened my eyes to how much defense can make an impact in the game.”

Let’s see if it translates to the NBA level.

Adem Bona excited to join Joel Embiid

Bona is ready to work with Embiid.

It’s been discussed several times about the 41st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft being former UCLA star Adem Bona. But, now the stories are coming out regarding what it means for the youngster, and the discussion has turned to playing with Joel Embiid.

The 76ers big man, who played his college basketball at Kansas scored 34.7 points per game a season ago. He did not win the scoring title, as he played in just 38 games. Embiid has had trouble staying healthy, missing big chunks of every season in the league. In his career, he scores 27.9 points per game.

Ky Carlin at SixersWire had a nice piece on his emotions and had quite a bit to say about his joining up with Embiid. Here is what Bona had to say regarding that:

“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.”

Bona is excited to get to work this summer with the 76ers. They will start their summer league in Salt Lake City and then move to Las Vegas during July.

Adem Bona set to give it his all with 76ers

Boa is ready to put the work in.

Adem Bona was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers are elated to have him on their roster, and cannot wait for his impact on the court.

The 41st pick overall was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in the final year for the conference. His ability to block shots will also come in huge, as he will likely be the backup for All-Star Joel Embiid.

Bona sat down for an interview after being drafted and had this to say about what 76ers fans could expect from him on the floor:

“The one thing about me, you’re always going to get all out effort from me,” he said succinctly. “Every time I step on the floor, I compete and give all the energy I can give. I give all the energy to the team and get to wherever I wanna get to. I think Philly’s getting one of the hardest workers in the draft.”

The 76ers’ first summer league game of the season will come on Monday, July 8th. They will play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center.