Jonah Bolden
Bolden with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2018
No. 43 – Sydney Kings
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1996-01-02) 2 January 1996
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian / American
Listed height203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight106 kg (234 lb)
Career information
High school
CollegeUCLA (2014–2016)
NBA draft2017: 2nd round, 36th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career2016–2020, 2023–present
Career history
2016–2017FMP
2017–2018Maccabi Tel Aviv
2018–2020Philadelphia 76ers
2018–2020→Delaware Blue Coats
2020Phoenix Suns
2023–presentSydney Kings
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Jonah Anthony Bolden (born 2 January 1996) is an Australian-American professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He started his professional career with FMP in Serbia, where he was named the ABA League Top Prospect in 2017. He played a season-and-a-half with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Phoenix Suns.

Bolden is the son of an American former pro basketball player Bruce Bolden, and moved to the United States as a senior in high school. A highly ranked college recruit, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Bolden was ineligible to play with the Bruins in his freshman year in 2014–15 after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ruled him a partial-qualifier due to his transferring as a high school senior. After playing with UCLA as a sophomore, Bolden left the school and played one season with FMP. He was selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft with the 36th overall pick, but played one season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel before joining the 76ers. He also played for the Australia national under-19 basketball team in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

Early life

Bolden was born in Melbourne to an American father Bruce Bolden and Egyptian mother Marie Therese Yacoub. He has a younger sister Cairo Bolden.[1] His mother is an author, screenwriter and producer. His father played professional basketball,[2][3] including 17 years in the National Basketball League in Australia.[4] Jonah grew up in Sydney and began playing basketball for the Bankstown Bruins at five years of age.[5] As a teenager, he attended Homebush Boys High School and was first selected to represent his home state of New South Wales at the 2013 Basketball Australia Under 18 National Championships.[6] Bolden led the NSW Metro state team to the national final by averaging 18 ppg and 13 rpg throughout the competition and his outstanding performance in the national championships saw him selected as the youngest player to represent Australia at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.[7][8] In August 2013, he relocated to the United States to play as a senior at Findlay College Prep, a private preparatory school in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas.[9][10] However, his high school eligibility expired after his first semester and he transferred midseason to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.[11][12]

In December 2013, Bolden chose to play college basketball at UCLA over Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, USC, and SMU.[13] A consensus four-star recruit,[14] he was listed as the No. 25 player in his class by Scout.com, No. 32 by Rivals.com, and No. 69 by ESPN.com, while also being ranked as the No. 5 power forward by Scout.com.[2]

College career

Bolden was a redshirt in his freshman year at UCLA after he was ruled ineligible to play in 2014–15.[15] Before the season, the NCAA declared him a partial-qualifier, stemming from his transfer from Australia when his senior year in high school has already began.[16][17][18] In January 2015, he was cleared by the NCAA to practice with the Bruins.[19] In May, he underwent arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee that was expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks.[20][21]

A 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) guard capable of playing either forward position, Bolden entered 2015–16 as the Bruins' projected replacement for wing player Norman Powell and combo forward Kevon Looney, who both moved on to the National Basketball Association (NBA).[22][23] However, his college debut was delayed after he violated unspecified team rules and was held out of UCLA's season opener, an 84–81 upset loss to Monmouth.[24] He made his first appearance the following game, making an impact on defense while scoring 11 points and adding five rebounds in an 88–83 win over Cal Poly.[25] On 12 December, Bolden played 30 minutes and had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double in a 71–66 road win over No. 20 Gonzaga.[26] UCLA coach Steve Alford inserted him into the game to guard a hot Kyle Wiltjer, who finished with 20 points but shot only 4 of 12 for the remainder of the game. Tony Parker had the initial defensive assignment, but Bolden provided more athleticism and mobility.[27] In the following game against Louisiana-Lafayette, Bolden made his first career start when center Thomas Welsh was out sick, and the Bruins won 89–80.[28] While he emerged as UCLA's top player off the bench, Bolden's impact on offense was minimal.[29]

After UCLA struggled on defense while starting 3–5 in their Pac-12 Conference schedule, Alford believed their front court was "slow" and moved Bolden into the starting lineup at power forward in place of Parker against Washington State.[18][30] Bolden scored only three points, but his defense helped the team win 83–50 for their largest margin of victory of the season.[31] On 14 February 2016, he led the team with a career-high 16 points to go with nine rebounds in a 78–65 win over Arizona State.[32] The Bruins lost their final five games of the season to finish with a 15–17 record.[33] Bolden made 11 starts, and averaged 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes in 31 games. He ranked third on the team with 27 blocks.[2]

Bolden felt that he was underutilized during his first season. During the offseason, he hoped to move to small forward, the position he was recruited to play, but he remained in a big man role, even with reserve György Golomán healthy again.[34] Possessing potential talent to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bolden decided to forego his remaining two years of college eligibility and play professionally, despite having already missed out on declaring for the 2016 NBA draft.[35][36]

Professional career

FMP (2016–2017)

Bolden signed with FMP of the ABA League and the Basketball League of Serbia, where he played both forward positions.[37] On 15 March 2017, Bolden was awarded the ABA League Top Prospect title after averaging 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his rookie season.[38] He also averaged 4.2 three-point field goal attempts per game, making 41.9 percent, and added one steal and one block per game.[39]

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2017–2018)

On 10 June 2017, Bolden signed a two-year contract with Crvena zvezda.[40] Twelve days later, Bolden was selected with the 36th pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. In July 2017, he joined the 76ers for the 2017 NBA Summer League.

Before even suiting up for a single regular season game for the Crvena zvezda, on 21 July 2017, Bolden signed a three-year contract with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.[41] On 12 December 2017, Bolden recorded a season-high 23 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 98–90 win over Ironi Nahariya.[42] Bolden went on to win the 2017 Israeli League Cup and the 2018 Israeli League Championship titles with Maccabi.

Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2020)

On 25 July 2018, Bolden signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.[43] On 16 October 2018, he made his NBA debut playing in a single minute under a 107–85 loss to the Boston Celtics.[44] As an NBA rookie in 2018–19, Bolden had multiple assignments to the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers' NBA G League affiliate.[45] He was part of the 76ers' rotation during the 2019 playoffs.[46]

Bolden was waived on 7 February 2020.[47]

Phoenix Suns (2020)

On 12 February 2020, Bolden was signed to a 10-day contract by the Phoenix Suns, who were without big men Frank Kaminsky, Aron Baynes, Dario Šarić, and Deandre Ayton during that time. In his debut that day, he had six points, seven rebounds and a plus-minus of +17 in 26 minutes in a 112–106 win over the Golden State Warriors.[48] Bolden played in two more games for the Suns, which saw all of their big men (minus Kaminsky) return to action before he wasn't signed for a second 10-day contract on February 24.[49]

Bolden subsequently retired from basketball at age 25 to pursue a career in cryptocurrency.[50]

Sydney Kings (2023–present)

On 19 June 2023, Bolden came out of retirement and signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2023–24 NBL season.[51][52]

National team career

Bolden played for the Australia national under-19 team at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in the Czech Republic at the age of 17.[53][54] He played in eight of the nine games that Australia competed in, averaging 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing 10.1 minutes per game.[55][56] His top performance was a nine-point game against Senegal.[55] In August 2019, Bolden made his senior debut for the Australian Boomers in an exhibition win against Canada leading up to the 2019 FIBA World Cup.[57] Although he was one the best players in that game, he withdrew from the World Cup afterwards, citing personal reasons.[58]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

Professional

NBA

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Philadelphia 441014.5.494.354.4813.8.9.4.94.7
2019–20 Philadelphia 403.5.667.000.000.3.0.3.01.0
Phoenix 3011.0.250.0001.0002.7.0.7.72.0
Career 511013.5.486.340.4843.4.8.4.84.3
Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Philadelphia 1007.9.263.250.5001.4.3.2.11.6
Career 1007.9.263.250.5001.4.3.2.11.6

EuroLeague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2017–18 Maccabi Tel Aviv 292821.1.487.319.5125.51.61.2.96.910.4
Career 292821.1.487.319.5125.51.61.2.96.910.4

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 UCLA 311121.7.415.250.7334.81.1.7.94.6

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jonah Bolden Is a Lottery Talent Hiding in the Second Round". 15 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jonah Bolden Bio". UCLABruins.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Jones, Steven (23 September 2013). "Louisville makes Jonah Bolden's final 10". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Legend leads Australians in tuneup vs RP five". The Philippine Star. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Walker-Mitchell, Donna (2 February 2019). "NBA rookie Jonah Bolden on life with the Sixers". The Saturday Paper.
  6. ↑ "U18 AJC - Player Spotlight - Jonah Bolden (NSW Metro)". Basketball Australia. 27 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Uluc, Olgun (2 February 2019). "Jonah's Journey: ABP Interviews Jonah Bolden – UCLA's newest Aussie signee". The Pick and Roll.
  8. ↑ "Jonah Bolden Interview at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in Prague". Draft Express. 8 July 2013.
  9. ↑ Rosenthal, Brian (28 August 2013). "Four-star hoops center to make official visit to NU". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013.
  10. ↑ Roberts, Ben (1 November 2013). "Next Cats: Updates on Stanley Johnson, Jonah Bolden". Kentucky.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  11. ↑ Schoen, David (1 April 2014). "Findlay pursues redemption for subpar season". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Kelley, Jimmy (19 January 2014). "Hoophall Classic Recruiting Update: 2015 Guard Donovan Mitchell gaining interest from Indiana, Xavier". MassLive.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Zagoria, Adam (10 December 2013). "Jonah Bolden to UCLA, Coach Says He Can Be a Pro (UPDATED)". Zagsblog. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  14. ↑ Helfand, Zach (26 January 2015). "UCLA freshman Jonah Bolden cleared to practice by NCAA". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015.
  15. ↑ Kartje, Ryan (12 September 2014). "UCLA freshman Jonah Bolden ineligible, will miss season". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015.
  16. ↑ Goodman, Jeff (12 September 2014). "Jonah Bolden ruled ineligible". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Zagoria, Adam (12 September 2014). "UCLA Freshman Jonah Bolden Ruled Ineligible". ZagsBlog. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015.
  18. 1 2 Helfand, Zach (11 February 2016). "Power forward Jonah Bolden could be key to a UCLA victory over No. 17 Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Vecenie, Sam (26 January 2015). "UCLA F Jonah Bolden eligible to practice with team immediately". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  20. ↑ Kaufman, Joey (19 May 2015). "UCLA basketball: Jonah Bolden to miss six to eight weeks after meniscus tear". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Raphielle (6 June 2015). "UCLA hopes to have versatile forward back to full strength by mid-July". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015.
  22. ↑ Eisenberg, Jeff (21 October 2015). "West Coast Bias: Highly touted UCLA forward could be worth the wait". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015.
  23. ↑ Newman, Josh (22 October 2015). "Monmouth could go small after finding success in 2014-15". Ashbury Park Press. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Monmouth surprises UCLA 84-81 in overtime". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015.
  25. ↑ Helfand, Zach (15 November 2015). "UCLA manages to beat Cal Poly, 88-83". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  26. ↑ Helfand, Zach (12 December 2015). "UCLA conquers road woes, and No. 20 Gonzaga, 71-66". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015.
  27. ↑ Dauster, Rob (13 December 2015). "After Gonzaga win, are we ready to buy UCLA yet?". College Basketball Talk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015.
  28. ↑ Kaufman, Joey (15 December 2015). "Bryce Alford delivers for Bruins, who survive scare". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  29. ↑ Wang, Jack (15 January 2016). "Can Jonah Bolden jolt UCLA basketball out of recent struggles?". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016.
  30. ↑ Shultz, Alex (30 January 2016). "UCLA's juggled lineup results in big win over Washington State". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016.
  31. ↑ Wang, Jack (30 January 2016). "UCLA's lineup changes lead to 83-50 win over Washington State". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016.
  32. ↑ Wang, Jack (14 February 2016). "UCLA clings onto NCAA hopes with 78-65 win at Arizona State". Inside UCLA. Archived from the original on 17 February 2016.
  33. ↑ Li, Derek (15 March 2016). "Tony Parker looks toward future after frustrating senior season". The Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016.
  34. ↑ Uluc, Olgun (4 August 2016). "Jonah Bolden explains his decision to leave UCLA, is set to round out Australia's 'golden generation'". FoxSports.com.au. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  35. ↑ Fowler, Clay (26 July 2016). "Jonah Bolden curiously leaves UCLA basketball team to turn pro". LA Daily News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016.
  36. ↑ "Jonah Bolden leaves UCLA, will turn pro". SI.com. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016.
  37. ↑ Hein, David (30 December 2016). "Ex-UCLA forward Jonah Bolden Uses Patience In Belgrade To Work Towards NBA Dreams". Ridiculous Upside. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017.
  38. ↑ "2016/17 Top Prospect: Jonah Bolden". ABA-Liga.com. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  39. ↑ Tjarks, Jonathan (15 June 2017). "Jonah Bolden Is a Lottery Talent Hiding in the Second Round". The Ringer. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017.
  40. ↑ "Jonah Bolden two years with Crvena zvezda mts". aba-liga.com. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  41. ↑ "Maccabi tabs forward Bolden". EuroLeague.net. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  42. ↑ "Winner League, Game 10: Nahariya Vs M. Tel-Aviv". basket.co.il. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  43. ↑ "Team Signs Jonah Bolden". NBA.com. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  44. ↑ "NBA Games: 76ers at Celtics". NBA.com. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  45. ↑ "2018-19 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  46. ↑ Uluc, Olgun (19 June 2023). "Former NBA player Jonah Bolden signs with Sydney Kings". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  47. ↑ "Team Signs Pelle". NBA.com. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  48. ↑ Ward, Roy (13 February 2020). "Jonah Bolden makes Suns debut a winner". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  49. ↑ Jonah Bolden: Doesn't receive second 10-day - CBSSports.com
  50. ↑ "Former NBA Rising Star Joins Kings". NBL.com.au. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  51. ↑ "Kings bring former NBA player Bolden to Sydney in NBL signing coup". SydneyKings.com. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  52. ↑ "Sydney Kings sign Jonah Bolden in NBL free agency blockbuster". SportingNews.com. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  53. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay takes top spot in 247Sports 2014 hoops rankings". MaxPreps.com. 14 August 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  54. ↑ "Michael Rowley into the Australian Emus under-19 men's basketball team for guard Mirko Djeric". Herald Sun. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  55. 1 2 Uluc, Olgun (26 July 2016). "Jonah Bolden withdraws from UCLA basketball to sign with European club, enter NBA Draft - sources". foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  56. ↑ "2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship - Player Profile: Jonah Bolden". FIBA. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  57. ↑ "Jonah Bolden, Jock Landale lead Australia past Canada in FIBA World Cup warm-up game". sportingnews.com. 17 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  58. ↑ Ward, Roy (18 August 2019). "Jonah Bolden withdraws from Boomers for personal reasons". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
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