July 06, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
The first two years of Adem Bona's NBA career have been awfully eventful.
The Sixers will retain Adem Bona, a source told PhillyVoice on Monday, certifying that Bona will have his 2026-27 salary of $2,296,271 guaranteed in full. Bona's salary was non-guaranteed until July 7; the Sixers could have waived him at no cost before then.
Bona, the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has had two chaotic seasons to begin his tenure in Philadelphia. In 129 games (29 starts), Bona has averaged 16.6 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He has been one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA on a per-minute basis, but has failed to establish himself as a reliable backup center elsewhere.
Even as he has maddened many Sixers fans with frustrating gaffes, Bona has shown enough potential between his rim protection, athleticism and motor to justify a salary which is below the veteran's minimum.
With veteran Andre Drummond having departed for the New York Knicks, Bona's primary competition for minutes behind Joel Embiid will be Ariel Hukporti, New York's former third-stringer with a larger frame than Bona but a similar set of strengths and weaknesses.
JAYLEN BROWN SCOUTING REPORTS
