Adem Bona

About

Adem Bona Okoro (born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro; 28 March 2003) is a Nigerian and Turkish professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. 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. Bona was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. He was selected by the 76ers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.

Adem Bona Okoro was born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro in Lagos, Nigeria, as the youngest of five children. He grew up playing association football as a midfielder but switched to basketball due to his height. 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. At age 13, Bona moved to Turkey, leaving behind the rest of his family, and began his career with Istanbul Basket. In February 2019, he moved to Pınar Karşıyaka…