Adem Bona

Adem Bona — Biography

Adem Bona is a center whose path ran from playing football in Lagos to the NBA by way of Turkey. He plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, stands out for his defensive energy and shot-blocking, and was part of the Turkish national team squad that won silver at EuroBasket 2025.

Born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro, the youngest of five children, he switched from football to basketball because of his height. After about a year a video of him caught the eye of Turkish coach Türkay Çakıroğlu, and at 13 he moved to Turkey and began at Istanbul Basket. He moved to Pınar Karşıyaka in February 2019, made his professional debut that October and his Basketball Super League debut in November 2019. At the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship he averaged 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4 blocks, led Turkey to fifth place and was named to the All-Star Five. After his high-school years at Prolific Prep he was named a McDonald's All-American and chose UCLA over an offer from Kentucky.

At UCLA he was voted Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in his first season, and in his second Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team selection. The 76ers took him in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft with the 41st pick. On April 3, 2025, he set a career high of 28 points against the Bucks; in 2025-26 he played 71 games and had his first playoff experience.