Jonah Bolden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jonah Bolden

Bolden with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2018
No. 43 – Capitanes de Arecibo
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1996-01-02) 2 January 1996 (age 29) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian / American
High school	Homebush Boys (Sydney, New South Wales) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada) Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire)
Listed weight	106 kg (234 lb)
Career information
College	UCLA (2014–2016)
NBA Draft	2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	2016–2020, 2023–present
League	BSN
Career history
2016–2017	FMP
2017–2018	Maccabi Tel Aviv
2018–2020	Philadelphia 76ers
2018–2020	→Delaware Blue Coats
2020	Phoenix Suns
2023–2024	Sydney Kings
2024	Capitanes de Arecibo
2024–2025	New Zealand Breakers
2025–present	Capitanes de Arecibo
Career highlights and awards
Israeli League champion (2018) Israeli League Cup winner (2017) ABA League Top Prospect (2017)

Jonah Anthony Bolden (born January 2, 1996) is a professional basketball player. He has both Australian and American citizenship. Jonah plays for the Cangrejeros de Santurce in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league.

He began his professional career with FMP in Serbia. There, he was named the ABA League Top Prospect in 2017. Jonah also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Philadelphia 76ers. Later, he joined the Phoenix Suns. His father, Bruce Bolden, was also a professional basketball player. Jonah moved to the United States during his last year of high school. He was a top player recruited by colleges. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.

Jonah's Early Life and School Years

Jonah Bolden was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Bruce Bolden, was American and played professional basketball. His mother, Marie Yacoub, is Egyptian. Jonah grew up in Sydney, Australia. He started playing basketball at age five for the Bankstown Bruins.

As a teenager, he went to Homebush Boys High School. He was chosen to play for his home state, New South Wales, in 2013. This was for the Basketball Australia Under 18 National Championships. Jonah led his team to the national final. He averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds per game. His great performance led to him being chosen for the Australian team. He was the youngest player to represent Australia at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

In August 2013, Jonah moved to the United States. He played his senior year at Findlay College Prep in Henderson, Nevada. This school is near Las Vegas. However, his high school eligibility ended after one semester. He then moved to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

In December 2013, Jonah decided to play college basketball at UCLA. He chose UCLA over other big schools like Louisville and Kentucky. Experts rated him as a top player in his class. He was seen as one of the best power forward players.

Playing Basketball in College

Jonah Bolden had to sit out his first year at UCLA. This was in the 2014–15 season. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) said he was a "partial qualifier." This was because he transferred from Australia after his senior year of high school had already started. In January 2015, the NCAA allowed him to practice with the UCLA team. In May, he had surgery on his right knee. He had a torn meniscus, which is a type of knee injury.

Jonah is 6 feet 10 inches tall. He can play both guard and forward positions. In the 2015–16 season, he was expected to replace two players who went to the NBA. However, his college debut was delayed. He missed UCLA's first game because he broke some team rules.

He played his first game after that. He scored 11 points and had five rebounds. This helped UCLA win 88–83. On December 12, Jonah played 30 minutes. He scored 10 points and had 11 rebounds. This was his first "double-double" (double digits in two stats) in a win against Gonzaga. He helped guard a strong player from the other team.

Jonah became UCLA's best player coming off the bench. But his scoring was not a big part of his game. UCLA's defense was struggling. So, his coach, Steve Alford, put Jonah in the starting lineup as a power forward. This helped the team win a game by a large margin. On February 14, 2016, he scored a career-high 16 points. He also had nine rebounds in a win against Arizona State.

UCLA finished the season with a 15–17 record. Jonah started 11 games. He averaged 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also had 27 blocks, which was third-highest on the team.

Jonah felt he wasn't used enough in his first season. He decided to leave college early to play professionally. He still had two years of college eligibility left.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for FMP (2016–2017)

Jonah Bolden signed with FMP. This team plays in the ABA League and the Basketball League of Serbia. He played both forward positions for them. On March 15, 2017, Jonah was named the ABA League Top Prospect. This award is for the best young player in the league. He averaged 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his first season. He also shot well from three-point range.

Time with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2017–2018)

On June 10, 2017, Jonah signed a two-year contract with Crvena zvezda. Twelve days later, the Philadelphia 76ers picked him in the 2017 NBA draft. He was the 36th overall pick. In July 2017, he played for the 76ers in the 2017 NBA Summer League.

However, he did not play a regular season game for Crvena zvezda. On July 21, 2017, Jonah signed a three-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. On December 12, 2017, he had a great game. He scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds. He also had 3 assists and 3 steals in a win. Jonah helped Maccabi win the 2017 Israeli League Cup. He also helped them win the 2018 Israeli League Championship.

Playing for the Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2020)

On July 25, 2018, Bolden signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He made his NBA debut on October 16, 2018. He played for one minute in a game against the Boston Celtics. As an NBA rookie, Jonah also spent time playing for the Delaware Blue Coats. This team is the 76ers' minor league team in the NBA G League. He was part of the 76ers' team during the 2019 playoffs.

The 76ers released him on February 7, 2020.

Short Time with the Phoenix Suns (2020)

On February 12, 2020, the Phoenix Suns signed Jonah Bolden to a 10-day contract. They needed players because many of their big players were injured. In his first game, he scored six points and had seven rebounds. He helped the Suns win 112–106 against the Golden State Warriors. Jonah played in two more games for the Suns. After that, he was not signed for another 10-day contract.

Return to Basketball (2023–Present)

On June 19, 2023, Jonah Bolden came out of retirement. He signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2023–24 NBL season.

On March 18, 2024, Bolden signed with Capitanes de Arecibo in the BSN league for the 2024 season.

On May 2, 2024, Bolden signed with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2024–25 NBL season. He is also expected to play for Capitanes de Arecibo again in 2025.

Playing for His Country

Jonah Bolden played for the Australian national under-19 team. This was at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in the Czech Republic. He was 17 years old at the time. He played in eight of Australia's nine games. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. His best game was against Senegal, where he scored nine points.

In August 2019, Jonah played his first senior game for the Australian Boomers. This was in a game against Canada. It was a warm-up game for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Even though he played well, he later decided not to play in the World Cup.

Career Statistics Summary

Here are some of Jonah Bolden's basketball statistics.

NBA Regular Season Stats

NBA Playoff Stats

EuroLeague Stats

College Stats

See also

In Spanish: Jonah Bolden para niños