Adem Bona

BIOGRAPHY

Adem Bona, known at birth as Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro, was born on 28th March 2003 in Lagos, Nigeria, the youngest of five siblings. His early years in Lagos were filled with playing association football in the midfield position, a choice mainly influenced by his height. However, his towering height also attracted him to basketball, and he often played with makeshift basketball hoops in fields, at times even without a ball.

Adem’s path to professional basketball began unexpectedly. After playing basketball for roughly a year, a video of him caught the eye of Turkish coach Turkay Cakiroglu. The coach got in contact with Istanbul Basket coach Nevzat Ozdemir, which turned out to be the golden ticket for Adem. At the age of 13, leaving his family behind, Adem moved to Turkey, where he started his career in basketball with Istanbul Basket.

The journey wasn’t without transition as he moved to Pinar Karsiyaka in February 2019, continuing his career at the youth level. His professional debut came later in the year on 30th October when he played one minute in a win over Donar in the FIBA Europe Cup. He continued to evolve and improve, debuting in the Basketball Super League (BSL) on 16th November, contributing two points in a big victory over Galatasaray.

In September 2020, a substantial shift in Bona’s career took place. An announcement confirmed he was moving to play for Prolific Prep in Napa, California, marking his arrival in American basketball.

Revamping his skills and techniques, Adem was headed for a promising future by 2022 as a five-star recruit and one of the top players in his class. After considering several offers, he committed to UCLA over an offer from Kentucky in November 2021.

As a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, Bona encountered a few hurdles initially – issues such as foul troubles and dropped passes. However, it wasn’t long before he upped his game. He was named the Pac-12’s freshman of the week in January 2023 after scoring the winning basket in a comeback win over Washington State, followed by one of his best performances of the season with 18 points and three blocks against Washington. This was just the start, with Bona continuing to display his refined skills, eventually leading UCLA with 57 blocks for the season.

The budding star, unfortunately, suffered a shoulder injury in the 2023 Pac-12 tournament, sidelining him for the finals. Despite struggling with recurring injury issues during the NCAA tournament, Bona’s overall performance throughout the season earned him a spot in the Pac-12 All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams and was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. After the season, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft while keeping his options open for continuing his college eligibility.

Bona’s recovery period saw him make remarkable strides in his offensive game. His performance in the UCLA Bruins’ season opener in 2023-24 was nothing short of awe-inspiring. He bagged career-highs of 28 points and four blocks in a resounding win over Saint Francis, leading to him being named in the All-Pac-12 first team and being voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Although he still struggled with foul trouble, he announced his departure from UCLA to declare for the 2024 NBA draft after the season ended.

Adem Bona’s professional career took off when he was selected as the 41st overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2024 NBA draft. He made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, against the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite losing the game, it marked an enormous scale of achievement for the Nigerian-Turkish player.

Before securing a spot in the NBA, Bona also had an impressive run in the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine. He averaged 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and four blocks per game, leading Turkey to a fifth-place finish, ensuring his name in the All-Star Five.

Born a Nigerian and playing the majority of his young career in Turkey, Adem had officially become a Turkish citizen in April 2018 and changed his name from Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro to Adem Bona. The name “Adem” was chosen by Bona himself, inspired by Adam from Islam.