Adem Bona

Adem Bona (born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro; March 28, 2003) is a Nigerian-Turkish college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. Named a McDonald's All-American in high school, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023.

Adem Bona
No. 3 – UCLA Bruins
PositionPower forward
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-03-28) March 28, 2003
Lagos, Nigeria
NationalityTurkish / Nigerian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolProlific Prep (Napa, California)
CollegeUCLA (2022–present)
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Pınar Karşıyaka
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Turkey
FIBA U18 European Championship
Silver medal – second place2019 GreeceTeam
FIBA U16 European Championship
Bronze medal – third place2018 SerbiaTeam

Early life and career

Bona was born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro in Lagos, Nigeria, as the youngest of five children.[1] He grew up playing football as a midfielder but switched to basketball due to his height.[2] He often played basketball with makeshift hoops in the fields, sometimes without a ball. Okoro was playing for about one year when a video of him drew the attention of Turkish coach Türkay Çakıroğlu, who then contacted Istanbul Basket coach Nevzat Özdemir.[3] At age 13, he moved to Turkey, leaving behind the rest of his family, and began his career with Istanbul Basket.[2][4] In February 2019, Bona moved to Pınar Karşıyaka and continued competing at the youth level.[5]

On October 30, 2019, Bona made his professional debut for Pınar Karşıyaka, playing one minute in a 77–57 win over Donar in the FIBA Europe Cup.[6] On November 16, he debuted in the Basketball Super League (BSL), scoring two points in an 84–55 victory over Galatasaray.[7]

High school career

On September 18, 2020, it was announced that Bona would continue his career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California.[8]

Recruiting

Bona is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On November 1, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for UCLA over an offer from Kentucky.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Adem Bona
C		 Lagos, Nigeria Prolific Prep (CA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 1, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 21  247Sports: 11  ESPN: 13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "UCLA 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  • "2022 UCLA Bruins Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.

College career

As a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2022–23, Bona improved after about a month of foul trouble and dropped passes.[9] On January 2, 2023, he was named the Pac-12's freshman of the week after scoring the go-ahead basket in a comeback win over Washington State, followed by a career-high 18 points and three blocks in a victory against Washington.[9][10][11] He won consecutive freshman of the week honors after grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds along with two blocked shots to help UCLA beat USC.[9][12] In the 2023 Pac-12 tournament, Bona injured his left shoulder in the semifinals against Oregon.[13] He missed the finals against Arizona, who defeated UCLA for the title.[14]

The Bruins received a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament. Bona was cleared to return in their opener, but he did not play in the 86–53 blowout over No. 15 seed UNC Asheville.[15] He returned in the following game against Northwestern, but reaggravated his shoulder during the game late in the game. He was out for two minutes before returning to make a key block in the final minutes to help secure a 68–63 win over the seventh-seeded Wildcats.[16][17][18] He was sidelined again for their next game against Gonzaga, which UCLA lost 79–76.[19] For the season, Bona started 32 games and averaged 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 23 minutes per game,[20] and led the Bruins with 57 blocks.[21] He converted 67.5% of his field goals, which ranked second in the Pac-12.[21] He was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive and Pac-12 All-Freshman teams and was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He also received honorable mention for the All-Pac-12 team.[22] After the season, he declared for the 2023 NBA draft, while retaining his college eligibility.[21] Following surgery for a torn labrum in April, which prevented him from engaging in individual workouts prior to the draft, Bona withdrew from the draft.[20]

National team career

At the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Bona averaged 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and four blocks per game, leading Turkey to fifth place. He ranked second at the tournament in rebounds and blocks and was named to the All-Star Five.[23]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 UCLA 333222.9.675–.5735.3.7.61.77.7

Personal life

In April 2018, Okoro became a Turkish citizen and officially changed his name to Adem Bona.[2] He named himself after Adam.[1]

References
  1. "Adem Bona kimdir?" (in Turkish). ABCSpor. August 5, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. "Finally playing with same age, Bona takes leadership role in quest for podium top step". FIBA. August 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  3. Arıöz, Levent (March 9, 2019). "Yeni Bobby Adem". 9 Eylül Gazetesi (in Turkish). Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  4. "Karşınızda Adem Bona" (in Turkish). TRT Spor. August 18, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  5. "Adem Bona'yı Pınar Karşıyaka Kaptı!" (in Turkish). Eurohoops. February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  6. "Pınar Karşıyaka, Groningen'e fark attı! 16 yaşındaki Adem Bona ilk kez..." Hürriyet (in Turkish). October 31, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  7. "Adem Bona: "Gösterdikleri Destekten Ötürü Taraftarlarımıza Teşekkür Ediyorum"" (in Turkish). Karşıyaka Basket. November 16, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  8. Robledillo, Albert (September 18, 2020). "Adem Bona ('03) chooses USA over Europe". Eurohopes. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  9. Bolch, Ben (January 19, 2023). "Making everywhere he goes his happy place, Adem Bona is a rising star for UCLA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  10. Bolch, Ben (January 1, 2023). "Adem Bona takes charge for No. 11 UCLA in blowout win over Washington". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  11. "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - January 2, 2023". Pac-12 Conference. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  12. "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - January 9, 2023". Pac-12 Conference. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  13. Grosbard, Adam (March 11, 2023). "Undersized UCLA loses thrilling Pac-12 Tournament title game to Arizona". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  14. Bolch, Ben (March 11, 2023). "UCLA falls to Arizona in Pac-12 title game, hurting chances for a No. 1 NCAA seed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  15. Bolch, Ben (March 16, 2023). "=UCLA dodges upset trend, opens NCAA tournament with rout of UNC Asheville". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  16. Hernandez, Dylan (March 18, 2023). "Don't fret about UCLA. Resilience is part of the Bruins' March Madness style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  17. Fattal, Tarek (March 18, 2023). "UCLA edges Northwestern to advance to 3rd straight Sweet Sixteen". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  18. Bolch, Ben (March 21, 2023). "UCLA will need new strategy for Drew Timme if Adem Bona, David Singleton out vs. Gonzaga". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  19. Bolch, Ben (March 23, 2023). "Jubilation turns into heartbreak as UCLA loses to Gonzaga again in NCAA tournament". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  20. "UCLA's Adem Bona returning, Jaylen Clark remains in NBA draft". The Orange County Register. May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  21. Bolch, Ben (April 19, 2023). "UCLA's Adem Bona declares for NBA draft but will preserve college eligibility". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  22. "2022-23 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  23. "MVP Dominguez headlines All-Star Five in Udine". FIBA. August 17, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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