Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward/center Adem Bona (30) looks on in the first quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Sixers' Prospect Aides in EuroBasket Win

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 11:59 AM ET

While the NBA isn't set to return for close to another month and some change, it doesn't mean that there isn't basketball to be played, as EuroBasket 2025 recently kicked off. The tournament features the national teams of the various countries in the European Union clash for the top spot.

Given the influx of European influence in the NBA over the course of the last decade or so, there are several players from the American league that feature, including the likes of three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Lauri Markkanen, as well as Philadelphia 76ers' big man Adem Bona.

The Sixers' second-year star is a part of Turkey's national team, who were seeded into Group A for the competition, pitting them against the likes of Serbia, Portugal, Latvia, Czechia, and Estonia. In the Turkish team's first game of the tournament, they cleared Latvia, 93-73, thanks in large part to the scoring efforts of Cedi Osman and Alphren Sengun.

As for the Sixers' star, he would only take to the court for 15 minutes, dropping four points while snagging three rebounds. One thing that could've led to a lower than anticipated amount of minutes could've been the foul trouble Bona found himself in, recording five personal fouls against Latvia.

How did Bona perform against Czechia?

On Friday, Turkey took on Czechia in the second game of their group stage slate of games, looking to build on the aforementioned win over Latvia. They would more than do so, taking out their competition, 92-78, with the previously mentioned Sengun exploding for 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Bona wouldn't have the flashiest of performances on Friday, managing to end the night with six points and two rebounds, with his foul count dropping down to only one across 14 minutes on the court. Elsewhere on the Turkish side of the court, former Sixers' sharpshooter, Furkan Korkmaz, would drop seven points, including one make from beyond the arc.

Turkey's next match will come against Portugal on Saturday, August 30, with tip-off slated for 2:15 p.m. EST.

Revisiting Bona's rookie campaign in the NBA

Bona was taken with the 11th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, coming off of a two-year stint at UCLA. While the 22-year-old would struggle to receive gametime early on into the season, as the injury bug made its way around the Sixers' roster, Bona would begin to soak in the gametime.

When all was said and done, Bona would end his rookie campaign averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, appearing in 58 matches, 11 of which he'd start in.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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