Adem Bona ready to bring high-motor style to Sixers: ‘You’re always going to get all-out effort’

When Adem Bona first spoke with the 76ers’ front office after being drafted Thursday evening, the former UCLA big man said he could “feel the energy through the phone.”

Bona would recognize such a quality. The second-round pick has been lauded for his high-motor playing style, and he vowed to bring that to the Sixers when formally introduced Friday morning at their practice facility in Camden.

“The one thing about me, you’re always going to get all-out effort from me,” Bona said during a joint news conference with first-round selection Jared McCain. “Every time I step on the floor, I come with all the energy I could give. …

“I think Philly’s is going to be getting one of the hardest workers in the draft.”

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Bona — who was born in Nigeria, spent part of his teenage years in Turkey, then played at Prolific Prep in Northern California — will get his first opportunity to flash that for the Sixers in summer league, which begins July 8 in Salt Lake City before shifting to the leaguewide showcase in Las Vegas. He perhaps best unleashes that motor as a versatile defender, using his long 6-foot-10, 245-pound frame to protect the rim, guard the ball, and switch on screens.

He credits his soccer background with developing his speed and agility at a young age. At UCLA, Bona said observing how teammate Jaylen Clark, the 2022-23 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, used his alertness and foot speed to disrupt the ball “opened my eyes to how much defense can make an impact.”

One season later, Bona was named the conference’s top defender. He averaged 1.8 blocks and 5.9 rebounds, and, according to College Basketball Reference, finished second in the Pac-12 in defensive plus-minus (4.5), and defensive rating (96.2), and ranked seventh in defensive win shares (1.9).

Bona soon will get plenty of challenging defensive repetitions, while matching up against Sixers superstar Joel Embiid. Bona is another African player who looks up to Embiid, the Cameroon native who morphed into the 2023 NBA MVP. The Sixers also still are in need of a reliable backup center, after falling apart during Embiid’s off-the-court minutes in their first-round playoff loss to the New Yorke Knicks.

“Going against him in practice, I think that’s going to help me with my progression,” Bona said of Embiid.

While sitting next to the outwardly vivacious McCain, Bona exuded a more quiet confidence. He said, as a rookie, he wants to demonstrate he can be an NBA contributor, “not just one of the players of the team.” He hopes he can make an offensive impact by using his athleticism to run the floor and initiate plays, which helped him average 12.4 points on 58.8% shooting last season at UCLA.

And he was enticed by joining a Sixers team with aspirations to contend in the Eastern Conference that will be hunting for more roster reinforcements around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey when free agency begins Sunday evening.

“That’s really everything I wanted,” Bona said. “Compete with the best, and play with the best.”

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Bona said he felt “every emotion” upon hearing his name called as the draft’s 41st pick. And when asked if slipping to the second round provided any extra motivation, he responded with a matter-of-fact “I’m always motivated.”

“I feel like this was the perfect spot for me [to be drafted],” Bona said. “This is where I wanted to be. This is part of the plan. Falling to the second round doesn’t change anything for me. I’m still going to be the same person I am. Bring the same energy. Bring the motor. …

“That’s what you’re going to get from me all day long.”

The 76ers are gearing up for a crucial free-agency period beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday. With ample salary-cap space available, the Sixers are in position to make significant moves to bolster their roster around All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Join Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Keith Pompey, as they recap the flurry of initial signings for the Sixers and around the league at noon on Monday.