The Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday signed forward Jonah Bolden.
It’s not yet known if this contract will definitely carry into the regular season or if it’s a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Bolden to training camp.
“We have been following Jonah Bolden for a while and are very excited to bring him into our program as a young, up-and-coming prospect,” Brown said. “He experienced positive growth and development last season at Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team led by Neven Spahija, who is a friend of our program and an excellent coach. Jonah’s style of play is that of a modern-day player and we’re thrilled to grow our team with him.”
The 76ers selected Bolden with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old spent the 2017-18 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, helping the team win the Israeli Basketball Super League title. In 26 BSL games (24 starts), the 6-foot-10 Bolden posted 7.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.5 minutes per game, as the team compiled a 28-11 record.
In 29 EuroLeague games (28 starts), Bolden averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 21.1 minutes per contest and was named a finalist for the EuroLeague Rising Star Award. The Australia native posted double-figure points on nine occasions as he shot .487 from the field in EuroLeague play, connecting on 77 of his 158 attempts. Bolden ranked fourth in the league in defensive rebounds (125), seventh in steals (34) and eighth in blocks (27).
Bolden has appeared in three summer leagues as a member of the 76ers, most recently appearing in six games with Philadelphia at MGM Resorts Summer League 2018, where he posted 6.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Last summer, the Australia native participated in both the 2017 Utah Jazz Summer League and MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2017.
Prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, Bolden played for Serbia’s KK FMP, averaging 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds across Basketball League of Serbia and Adriatic League play. He earned the Adriatic League’s Top Prospect Award in 2017, joining teammate Dario Šarić, Denver’s Nikola Jokić and Cleveland’s Ante Zizic as recent award recipients. Bolden spent the 2015-16 season at UCLA, where he appeared in 31 games (11 starts) for the Bruins and tallied 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per contest.
A native of Sydney, Australia, Bolden was a member of the Australian U-19 National Team, representing his home country in the 2013 FIBA U-19 World Championship. His father, Bruce, played 17 seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League, competing against Ben Simmons’ father, Dave, and Brown, who was a coach in the league.
