Adem Bona
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Lagos, Nigeria | March 28, 2003||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Turkish | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
High school | Prolific Prep (Napa, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||
College | UCLA (2022–2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2019–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Power forward / center | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
2019–2020 | Pınar Karşıyaka | ||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Adem Bona (born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro; March 28, 2003) is a Turkish
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 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, Bona moved to Turkey, leaving behind the rest of his family, and began his career with Istanbul Basket.[2][4] In February 2019, he 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
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.
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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Adem Bona C |
Lagos, Nigeria
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Prolific Prep (CA) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 1, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 11 ESPN : 13
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Sources:
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College career
As a
The Bruins received a No. 2 seed in the
While recovering from his injury, Bona added a midrange
National team career
At the
Career statistics
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 | 33 | 32 | 22.9 | .675 | – | .573 | 5.3 | .7 | .6 | 1.7 | 7.7 |
2023–24 | UCLA | 33 | 33 | 26.5 | .588 | .000 | .696 | 5.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 12.4 |
Career | 66 | 65 | 24.7 | .621 | .000 | .652 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 10.1 |
Source:[30]
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
- ^ a b "Adem Bona kimdir?" (in Turkish). ABCSpor. August 5, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Finally playing with same age, Bona takes leadership role in quest for podium top step". FIBA. August 13, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ Arıöz, Levent (March 9, 2019). "Yeni Bobby Adem". 9 Eylül Gazetesi (in Turkish). Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Karşınızda Adem Bona" (in Turkish). TRT Spor. August 18, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Adem Bona'yı Pınar Karşıyaka Kaptı!" (in Turkish). Eurohoops. February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Pınar Karşıyaka, Groningen'e fark attı! 16 yaşındaki Adem Bona ilk kez..." Hürriyet (in Turkish). October 31, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Adem Bona: "Gösterdikleri Destekten Ötürü Taraftarlarımıza Teşekkür Ediyorum"" (in Turkish). Karşıyaka Basket. November 16, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ Robledillo, Albert (September 18, 2020). "Adem Bona ('03) chooses USA over Europe". Eurohopes. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - January 2, 2023". Pac-12 Conference. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - January 9, 2023". Pac-12 Conference. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Adem Bona". UCLA Athletics. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Grosbard, Adam (March 11, 2023). "Undersized UCLA loses thrilling Pac-12 Tournament title game to Arizona". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (March 16, 2023). "UCLA dodges upset trend, opens NCAA tournament with rout of UNC Asheville". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Fattal, Tarek (March 18, 2023). "UCLA edges Northwestern to advance to 3rd straight Sweet Sixteen". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "UCLA's Adem Bona returning, Jaylen Clark remains in NBA draft". The Orange County Register. May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (November 6, 2023). "Stopping the biggest UCLA team of the Mick Cronin era could be a tall order". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (November 10, 2023). "Adem Bona lives up to his billing as UCLA's best player in season-opening win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Davis, John (November 6, 2023). "UCLA routs St. Francis in season opener to give Mick Cronin a milestone win". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (March 12, 2024). "Keeping it in the UCLA family, Adem Bona wins Pac-12 defensive player of the year". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (April 12, 2024). "UCLA's Adem Bona declares for NBA draft and bids farewell after two seasons". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "MVP Dominguez headlines All-Star Five in Udine". FIBA. August 17, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Adem Bona College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 26, 2024.