Adem Bona

Adem Bona
Born	Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro (2003-03-28) March 28, 2003 Lagos, Nigeria
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2019–present
Known for	Playing for UCLA Bruins, Philadelphia 76ers

Adem Bona Okoro (originally named Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro; born 28 March 2003) is a professional basketball athlete holding Nigerian and Turkish nationalities, currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He competed at the collegiate level with the UCLA Bruins. Recognized as a McDonald's All-American during his high school tenure, Bona secured a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and was honored as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023. In 2024, he earned first-team All-Pac-12 accolades and was awarded the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. The Philadelphia 76ers selected him in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.

Early life and career

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, as the youngest among five siblings, Adem Bona Okoro initially played football as a midfielder before transitioning to basketball due to his height advantage. After roughly one year of informal play, a video showcasing his skills caught the attention of Turkish coach Türkay Çakıroğlu, who facilitated his connection with Nevzat Özdemir, coach of Istanbul Basket. At age 13, Bona relocated to Turkey to pursue basketball professionally with Istanbul Basket. By February 2019, he advanced to join Pınar Karşıyaka at the youth level.

Bona made his professional debut on 30 October 2019 for Pınar Karşıyaka in a FIBA Europe Cup match against Donar, contributing briefly in a 77–57 victory. His first appearance in Turkey’s top-tier league, the Basketball Super League (BSL), came on 16 November when he scored two points during an 84–55 win over Galatasaray.

High school career

On 18 September 2020, Bona announced his commitment to continue his development at Prolific Prep located in Napa, California.

Recruiting

Regarded as a consensus five-star prospect and among the elite players in the 2022 recruiting class, Bona chose to join UCLA on 1 November 2021, opting for them over an offer from Kentucky.

College career

During his freshman season at UCLA in 2022–23, Bona demonstrated marked improvement despite early challenges with fouls. On 2 January 2023, he was named Pac-12 freshman of the week following impactful performances against Washington State and Washington. He earned this recognition again the subsequent week after aiding UCLA’s victory over USC. On 2 March, Bona posted a personal best with 11 rebounds versus Arizona State. Unfortunately, he sustained a left shoulder injury during the Pac-12 tournament semifinals that sidelined him for the championship game against Arizona.

Entering the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed, UCLA had Bona medically cleared to play; however, he did not participate in their opening game. He returned for their matchup against Northwestern but re-injured his shoulder while making an important block that contributed to securing the win. This injury kept him out of UCLA’s Sweet Sixteen defeat to Gonzaga. Over the season, Bona started all 32 games and averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest while leading UCLA with 57 blocks and shooting an efficient 67.5% from the field—ranking second in the Pac-12. His efforts earned him spots on both the Pac-12 All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams, along with being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and receiving honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors. Although he declared for the 2023 NBA draft maintaining college eligibility, he later withdrew after undergoing labrum surgery which prevented participation in pre-draft workouts.

During his rehabilitation period, Bona focused on refining his midrange shooting and post moves to diversify his offensive skill set. He missed UCLA’s Spain tour and preseason exhibitions but began the 2023–24 season impressively with career-highs of 28 points and four blocks in a commanding victory over Saint Francis, also adding nine rebounds. His performance earned him first-team All-Pac-12 recognition and consecutive Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors—the second UCLA player to achieve this distinction back-to-back. Averaging 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game throughout that season, Bona continued to struggle with foul trouble intermittently. After concluding the season, he declared for the NBA draft again, finishing his collegiate tenure ranked sixth all-time at UCLA with 115 career blocks.

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

On July 21, 2024, Bona was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. He made his first NBA appearance on October 23, 2024, during a 124-109 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. Throughout his rookie year, Bona spent significant time playing for the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League.

Bona achieved a personal best of 28 points on April 3, 2025, although his team fell 126–113 to the Milwaukee Bucks.

National team career

Competing at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship held in Udine, Bona posted averages of 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and four blocks per game. His efforts helped guide Turkey to a fifth-place finish. He finished second overall in rebounds and blocks and earned a spot on the All-Star Five.

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 33 || 32 || 22.9 || .675 || — || .573 || 5.3 || .7 || .6 || 1.7 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 33 || 33 || 26.5 || .588 || .000 || .696 || 5.9 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 1.8 || 12.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 66 || 65 || 24.7 || .621 || .000 || .652 || 5.6 || 1.0 || .8 || 1.7 || 10.1

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Personal life

In April 2018, Okoro obtained Turkish citizenship and officially adopted the name Adem Bona, drawing inspiration from Adam in Islam.

External links

• UCLA Bruins bio