Jonah Bolden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jonah Bolden

Bolden with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2018
No. 43 – New Zealand Breakers
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	NBL
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–present	New Zealand Breakers
Career highlights and awards
Israeli League champion (2018) Israeli League Cup winner (2017) ABA League Top Prospect (2017)

Jonah Anthony Bolden (born 2 January 1996) is an Australian-American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the New Zealand Breakers in Australia's NBL.

Jonah started his professional career with FMP in Serbia. There, he was named the ABA League Top Prospect in 2017. He later played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Jonah's 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 highly rated player when he was recruited for college. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.

Early Life and High School Journey

Jonah Bolden was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Bruce Bolden, was an American professional basketball player. His mother, Marie Yacoub, is Egyptian. Jonah grew up in Sydney and started playing basketball at age five.

As a teenager, he went to Homebush Boys High School. He was chosen to play for his home state, New South Wales. This was at the 2013 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 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. He was the youngest player on the Australian team. In August 2013, he moved to the United States. He played his senior year at Findlay College Prep in Henderson, Nevada. 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. Many top colleges wanted him. Experts ranked him as a top player in his class. He was seen as one of the best power forwards.

College Basketball Experience

Jonah Bolden had to sit out his first year at UCLA. This is called being a redshirt. He was not allowed to play in the 2014–15 season. The NCAA said he was a "partial qualifier." This was because he transferred from Australia after his senior year of high school had already begun. In January 2015, he was allowed to practice with the team. Later, he had surgery on his right knee.

Jonah is 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) tall and can play different forward positions. He was expected to be a key player for UCLA in 2015–16. However, his first college game was delayed. He missed the season opener due to team rules. He played his first game next, scoring 11 points and getting five rebounds.

On 12 December, Jonah played 30 minutes. He scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. This was his first career double-double. He helped UCLA win against No. 20 Gonzaga. Coach Steve Alford put him in to guard a strong opponent. Jonah's defense helped the team a lot. He later made his first start when another player was sick.

UCLA struggled on defense early in their conference games. Coach Alford moved Jonah into the starting lineup as a power forward. His defense helped the team win big. On 14 February 2016, he scored a career-high 16 points. He also had nine rebounds in a win. The Bruins 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 on the team.

Jonah felt he wasn't used enough in his first season. He decided to leave college early to play professionally. He chose to do this even though he had missed the chance to enter the 2016 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for FMP (2016–2017)

Jonah Bolden signed with FMP in Serbia. He played both forward positions there. On 15 March 2017, he was named the ABA League Top Prospect. This award goes to the best young player in the league. He averaged 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He also shot well from three-point range.

Time with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2017–2018)

On 10 June 2017, Bolden signed with Crvena zvezda. A few 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.

Before playing for Crvena zvezda, Jonah signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. This was on 21 July 2017. On 12 December 2017, he had a great game. He scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also had 3 assists and 3 steals. With Maccabi, he won the Israeli League Cup and the Israeli League Championship.

NBA with Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2020)

On 25 July 2018, Bolden officially joined the Philadelphia 76ers. He made his NBA debut on 16 October 2018. As a rookie, he also spent time with the Delaware Blue Coats. This is the 76ers' team in the NBA G League. He was part of the 76ers' main team during the 2019 playoffs. The 76ers released him on 7 February 2020.

Short Stint with Phoenix Suns (2020)

On 12 February 2020, the Phoenix Suns signed Jonah Bolden for 10 days. They needed more 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. He played two more games for the Suns. After that, he was not signed for another contract.

Jonah later took a break from basketball to explore other interests.

Return to Basketball (2023–Present)

On 19 June 2023, Jonah Bolden returned to basketball. He signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2023–24 NBL season. On 18 March 2024, he signed with Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. Then, on 2 May 2024, he signed with the New Zealand Breakers. He will play for them in the 2024–25 NBL season.

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. He played in eight 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 before the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Even though he played well, he later decided not to play in the World Cup.

Career Statistics

Here are Jonah Bolden's basketball statistics from his career.

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

EuroLeague Statistics

College Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Jonah Bolden para niños

• List of foreign basketball players in Serbia
• List of NBA drafted players from Serbia