UCLA basketball player Adem Bona will withdraw his name from the 2023 NBA Draft pool and return to school for his sophomore season, the school announced Wednesday.
Bona, a 6-foot-10 forward, started 32 games as a freshman and averaged 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots in 23 minutes per game while shooting 68% from the field.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin credited Bona for his toughness and “competing through multiple injuries for as long as he could” in a statement released by the school on Wednesday.
The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year suffered a shoulder injury during a conference tournament semifinal after diving on the floor in pursuit of a loose ball. He missed the Pac-12 title game loss to Arizona and the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament opener against UNC Asheville, but he returned to play in their second-round victory over Northwestern. He aggravated the injury in that game and sat out their loss to Gonzaga in the West Regional semifinals.
Bona had surgery for a shoulder labrum tear in April, which kept him from participating in individual workouts ahead of the draft. He is expected to be cleared for basketball activity before the start of the season, which will be important for a team that finished 31-6 but will feature a lot of new faces after losing its top five scorers: Jaimie Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, Amari Bailey and David Singleton.
Clark announced on Instagram that he plans to remain in the NBA draft pool and will not return for another season in Westwood. Clark suffered an Achilles injury late in the season and was ruled out for the postseason.
Despite the injury, the former Etiwanda High standout earned several accolades for his performance during the regular season, including being named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
