UCLA basketball player Adem Bona shares incredible memory that ended in NBA dream

Many current stars in the league picked up a basketball late in life, but still ended up where they are today. Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam are prime examples of this. These two often played more on the court than they did on it. The same story happened to UCLA basketball star and now Philadelphia 76ers rookie Adem Bona. He even got emotional recounting it after the NBA Draft.

Adem Bona was selected 41st overall by the 76ers in the 2024 NBA Draft. The UCLA basketball star has been through a lot since switching from football to basketball. Now, he has finally made it to the NBA.

You’d think this was his dream all along, but like Joel Embiid, the UCLA basketball star had other plans before he hit the court, namely via the Philadelphia 76ers on X.

“I was having a normal day and some random guy reached out to me and said, ‘Yo, do you play basketball?’ And I said, ‘No, I play football.’ He said, ‘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 said, ‘Ah, I don’t know. I don’t want to pay you to coach my son.’” Adem Bona said.

So how did he end up on the UCLA basketball team and eventually the 76ers in the NBA Draft? Well, it wasn’t because of his mother, but it was still people in his family that helped him. Bona just had a lot of untapped potential that only the coach and his brothers saw. Eventually, they gave the game a try and football had to take a back seat for a while.

“But my brothers paid for my first basketball practice. I have two older brothers who mean the world to me. They paid for my first practice. That’s how it started,” he concluded.

From UCLA Basketball to Being Picked by the 76ers in the NBA Draft

His brothers and coach played a big role in his development. Bona would go on to grow to 6’10 and thrive under Mick Cronin. By the end of his freshman year, he was the best rookie in the Pac-12 Conference. His Rookie of the Year and All-Freshman honors are testament to that. He also earned an All-Defensive team nod.

In Bona’s second year at UCLA Basketball, he took an even bigger leap. He knocked down his shots at a 58.8% clip from all three levels of the court for 12.4 points. His acumen for clearing the glass even earned him 5.9 rebounds on a nightly basis. The defensive effort he put forth on the court was impeccable. It showed in his stat sheet, where he averaged 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals. His final season before being drafted by the 76ers in the NBA Draft even earned him the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award.

Embiid certainly has someone who has followed closely in his footsteps. Hopefully the 76ers and the UCLA basketball program see another MVP from him.