Is Adem Bona Leaving UCLA? Adem Bona Leaving UCLA After 2 Seasons to Enter NBA Draft

Is Adem Bona Leaving UCLA?

Adem Bona, from Lagos, Nigeria, is leaving UCLA after two years to join the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 forward center announced his decision on Instagram. During his time at UCLA, Bona played in 66 games, starting in 65, and averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

He was recognized as All-Pac-12 and the Defensive Player of the Year in his sophomore year, and he previously earned honors as the Freshman of the Year in 2023. Bona's Instagram post reflected his time playing basketball and expressed excitement for the future.

With 115 blocks, he ranked sixth on UCLA's career list and became the first player since 2001 with back-to-back seasons of at least 50 blocks. UCLA's coach, Mick Cronin, believes Bona has much-untapped potential. As per NCAA regulations, players who declare for the NBA Draft have until June 1 to withdraw and return to school. Bona's departure marks a new chapter in his basketball journey as he pursues opportunities in professional basketball.

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Adem Bona Wiki

Adem Bona, born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro on March 28, 2003, is a basketball player from Turkey. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference. In high school, he was recognized as a McDonald's All-American. During his time at UCLA, Bona achieved several accolades.

In 2023, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and voted Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. The following year, in 2024, he was selected as a first-team All-Pac-12 player and also named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. These honors recognize his outstanding performance and defensive skills on the basketball court. Bona's achievements highlight his talent and contribution to UCLA's basketball program.

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Early Life

Bona was born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro in Lagos, Nigeria, the youngest of five siblings. He used to play soccer but switched to basketball because he was tall. Sometimes he played basketball without a ball, using homemade hoops in fields. When he was about 13 years old, a Turkish coach named Turkey Çakıroğlu saw a video of him playing and contacted Nevzat Özdemir, the coach of Istanbul Basket.

Bona moved to Turkey to play basketball for Istanbul Basket, leaving his family behind. Later, he joined Pınar Karşıyaka in February 2019 and continued playing in youth leagues. On October 30, 2019, Bona played his first professional game for Pınar Karşıyaka in the FIBA Europe Cup. Then, on November 16, he made his debut in the Basketball Super League (BSL), scoring two points in a game against Galatasaray.

Career

In September 2020, Bona decided to join Prolific Prep in Napa, California. During his freshman year at UCLA in 2022–23, he faced some challenges but improved over time. He earned recognition as the Pac-12's Freshman of the Week after scoring crucial points in comeback wins and contributing significantly to victories.

Despite a shoulder injury during the Pac-12 tournament, he played a key role for UCLA throughout the season. In the NCAA tournament, he returned from injury to help UCLA secure wins but was sidelined again for a crucial game against Gonzaga. Bona's performance throughout the season earned him several honors, including Pac-12 All-Defensive and Pac-12 All-Freshman teams, and he was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Following surgery for a torn labrum, he withdrew from the 2023 NBA Draft to focus on recovery. Bona worked on his game during recovery, adding new skills to his repertoire. In the 2023–24 season, he had an outstanding performance in the season opener and continued to excel, earning accolades such as All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Despite his success at UCLA, Bona announced his decision to leave the university and declare for the NBA Draft. Additionally, Bona showcased his talent on the international stage, representing Turkey at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship and earning recognition for his exceptional performance.

Net Worth

Since Adem Bona hasn't started playing in the NBA professionally yet and doesn't have any known deals for making money outside of basketball, it's hard to say exactly how much he's worth. Estimates suggest his net worth could be between $1 and $5 million.

This money comes from his successful basketball career overseas and his current one in the United States. But because he hasn't been getting a regular paycheck, this estimate might not be accurate. However, once Bona gets drafted by an NBA team, which is likely to happen by the end of June, his net worth is expected to go up a lot. That's because NBA players usually earn a lot of money, so once Bona starts playing professionally, he'll likely start making a lot more money too.

Age and Height

Adem was born on March 28, 2003; his age is 21. Born in Lagos, Nigeria., he is 6ft 10in (2.08 meters) in height and 235lb (ca. 107 kg) in weight.

Endorsement

Adem Bona doesn't have any deals to make money from his name, image, or likeness (NIL). That means his value for endorsements is $0. It seems like he might have turned down offers from companies that wanted to work with him, but we don't know much about those companies.

Even though he's not making money from endorsements, he's got a decent following on social media. He's active on Instagram, where he has 17.1K followers, and on X, with 684 followers. Right now, Adem Bona hasn't signed any deals to promote brands.

This could be because he hasn't hired an agent. Agents in sports help players get endorsement deals and manage their reputations. They have lots of connections to bring in good deals. Without an agent, it's harder for an athlete to get the best deals because they don't have the same connections to negotiate with companies.