Meet Adem Bona

Meet Adem Bona

Adem Bona (born Ikechukwu Stanley Okoro on 28 March 2003) is a Nigerian-Turkish basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Originally from Ebonyi State, Igboland, Nigeria, Bona was born in Lagos as the youngest of five children. He initially played football as a midfielder but switched to basketball due to his height. He often played with makeshift hoops in fields, sometimes without a proper ball.

After playing basketball for about a year, a video of him went viral on the internet, attracting the attention of Turkish basketball coach Türkay Çakıroğlu. Çakıroğlu contacted Istanbul Basket coach Nevzat Özdemir, which led to Bona’s move to Turkey at the age of 13. Leaving his family behind, Bona began his career with Istanbul Basket. In February 2019, he transferred to Pınar Karşıyaka and continued competing at the youth level.

Bona made his professional debut for Pınar Karşıyaka on 30 October 2019, playing one minute in a 77–57 win over Donar in the FIBA Europe Cup. On 16 November, he debuted in the Basketball Super League (BSL), scoring two points in an 84–55 victory over Galatasaray.

In April 2018, Bona became a Turkish citizen and officially changed his name to Adem Bona, naming himself after Adam in Islam. In June 2024, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA.