A lot of current stars in the league picked up a basketball late in their lives but still made it where they are. Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam are really huge examples of this. These two often had more time playing on the field than on the court. The same story happened for UCLA basketball star and now Philadelphia 76ers rookie Adem Bona. He even went emotional while he was re-telling it after the NBA Draft.
Adem Bona was selected 41st overall by the 76ers in the 2024 NBA Draft. The UCLA basketball star has gone through a lot from transitioning from the game of soccer to basketball. Now, he has finally made it to the NBA.
One might think that this had always been his dream but, like Joel Embiid, the UCLA basketball star had other plans prior to hitting the courts, via the Philadelphia 76ers on X.
“I was having my regular day, and a random dude reached out to me like, ‘Yo, do you play basketball?' And I was like, ‘No, I play soccer.' He was like, ‘I really want to talk to your mom.' I said, ‘Fine, you can follow me to my mom's store.' … He walked all the way to my mom's store with me… My mom was like, ‘Ah, I don't know. I'm not willing to pay you to train my son.',” Adem Bona said.
So, how did he end up with the UCLA basketball squad and eventually landing with the 76ers in the NBA Draft? Well, it was not because of his mom but it was still people in his family that helped him. Bona just had a lot of untapped potential that only the trainer and his brothers saw. Eventually, they gave the sport a shot and soccer had to take a backseat for a while
“But, my brothers paid for my first basketball practice. I have two older brothers who are everything to me. They paid for my first practice. That's how it started,” he concluded.
From UCLA Basketball to getting picked by the 76ers in the NBA Draft
His brothers and the trainer played a big role in his development. Bona would then go on to grow to 6'10 and do good under Mick Cronin. By the end of his first year, he was the best rookie out of everyone in the Pac-12 conference. His Rookie of the Year and All-Freshman honors prove just that. Moreover, he also notched an All-Defensive team nod.
In Bona's second year with UCLA Basketball, he took an even bigger leap. He knocked down his shots with a 58.8% clip from all three levels of the field for 12.4 points. His acumen for cleaning up the glass even got him 5.9 rebounds on a nightly basis. The defensive effort he gave on the floor was impeccable. It showed in his stat sheet where he averaged 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals. His last season before getting selected by the 76ers in the NBA Draft even saw him net the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Embiid definitely has someone who followed closely in his footsteps. Hopefully, the 76ers and UCLA basketball program see another MVP out of him.
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