Klairus Amir
October 28, 2023
Jonah Bolden
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 2/1/96
- Place of Birth: Melbourne (VIC)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 102
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Sydney
- College: UCLA (2014–2016)
- NBL DEBUT: 30/09/23
- AGE AT DEBUT: 27
- LAST NBL GAME: 5/02/25
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 29
- NBL History: Sydney 2024 | New Zealand 2025 | Illawarra 2026
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Jonah Anthony Bolden was born in Melbourne and raised in Sydney where he began playing basketball for the Bankstown Bruins at five years of age.
As a teenager, he attended Homebush Boys High School and was first selected to represent his home state of New South Wales at the 2013 Basketball Australia Under 18 National Championships. Bolden led the NSW Metro state team to the national final by averaging 18 ppg and 13 rpg throughout the competition, , which also led to his selection for Australia’s Under 19 team later that year.
In August 2013, he relocated to the United States to play as a senior at Findlay College Prep, a private preparatory school in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas. However, his high school eligibility expired after his first semester and he transferred midseason to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
FAMILY:
NBL EXPERIENCE
Jonah Bolden made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 27 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.
Jonah Bolden joined the Sydney Kings on a one-year deal, marking his return to professional basketball three years after leaving the sport to pursue a career in cryptocurrency with his firm, Bolden Ventures. At the time of his signing, Bolden had not played professionally since his stint with the Phoenix Suns in 2020. Sydney faced a major roster overhaul ahead of NBL24, with key players heading to the NBA, including reigning MVP Xavier Cooks and DJ Vasiljevic to the Washington Wizards. Coach Chase Buford also departed to explore NBA opportunities, eventually joining the Milwaukee Bucks. Imports Derrick Walton Jr., Justin Simon, and Tim Soares moved overseas, leaving Jordan Hunter as the only returning starter from the championship-winning squad.
To rebuild, the Kings welcomed back former MVP Jaylen Adams from Europe, alongside new imports DJ Hogg (via Cairns), Denzel Valentine, and Bolden, who re-entered the basketball world after a four-year absence. The team was now led by G-League championship coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah, replacing Buford. Despite the significant changes, Sydney was still considered a top contender for the title.
After ten games, Sydney held a 7-3 record, placing them second on the ladder, with losses only to Tasmania (twice) and Cairns. This strong start was achieved even with key players like DJ Hogg (who missed the first half of the season) and Jaylin Galloway sidelined by injuries.
From Round 8, however, the Kings’ performance took a downturn, struggling defensively and allowing 100 points on nine different occasions. They slipped in form and finished the season as one of the league’s weakest defensive teams.
The Kings’ success was largely driven by the pick-and-roll play of Adams (19.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Hunter (10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks). Bolden contributed solidly with 8.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, putting up strong games but understandably spent most of the season working to regain his basketball form. Denzel Valentine (12.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) and DJ Hogg (14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks), however, fell short of expectations, particularly in defensive contributions. Sydney ultimately ended the season in fifth place and failed to progress past the play-in qualifiers, losing to New Zealand.
Despite the team’s struggles, standout seasons from rookie Alex Toohey (8 points and 4.0 rebounds), Kouat Noi (10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) who narrowly missed out on the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award, and Jaylin Galloway (10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) offered hope for the future, showcasing individual talent and potential.
Bolden’s season highlight came in a game against Perth, where he posted 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block, shooting an impressive 10/12 from the field and 7/8 from beyond the arc. He also scored 16 points, with 6 rebounds and 1 block on 6/8 shooting, including 4/5 from three-point range, in an 18-minute stint during a loss to Melbourne.
Jonah Bolden currently plays for the Illawarra Hawks and has played 60 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 6.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists since entering the league in 2023.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 30 | Illawarra | 13-20 (8) | 8 | 126.7 | 35 | 44 | 4 | 29 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 26 | 54% | 0 | 8 | 0% | 7 | 10 | 70% | 57% | 54% | 11 |
| 2024-25 | 29 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 24 | 454.8 | 144 | 138 | 30 | 110 | 28 | 14 | 12 | 25 | 62 | 55 | 128 | 43% | 22 | 81 | 27% | 12 | 20 | 60% | 52% | 52% | 11 |
| 2023-24 | 28 | Sydney | 13-15 (5) | 28 | 504.3 | 238 | 178 | 32 | 61 | 117 | 22 | 19 | 34 | 82 | 86 | 181 | 48% | 35 | 92 | 38% | 31 | 50 | 62% | 58% | 57% | 28 | Totals | 60 | 1086 | 417 | 360 | 66 | 200 | 160 | 41 | 38 | 69 | 161 | 155 | 335 | 46.3% | 57 | 181 | 31.5% | 50 | 80 | 62.5% | 56% | 55% | 28 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 30 | Illawarra | 13-20 (8) | 8 | 15.8 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 54% | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.9 | 1.3 | 70% | 57% | 54% | 11 |
| 2024-25 | 29 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 24 | 19.0 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 43% | 0.9 | 3.4 | 27% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 60% | 52% | 52% | 11 |
| 2023-24 | 28 | Sydney | 13-15 (5) | 28 | 18.0 | 8.5 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 48% | 1.3 | 3.3 | 38% | 1.1 | 1.8 | 62% | 58% | 57% | 28 | Total | 60 | 18.1 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 5.6 | 46.3% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 31.5% | 1.0 | 3.0 | 62.5% | 56% | 55% | 28 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 28 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Sydney Comets (2013)
Bolden joined the Sydney Comets for the 2013 BNSW Under 18 Men Division 1 season, and he helped the Comets win the title with a 76–60 grand final victory over Bankstown Bruins while earning grand final MVP honours wearing No. 14.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
At 17 years of age, after his outstanding performance in the national championships in 2023, Bolden was selected to represent Australia at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championships, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. He played in eight of the nine games that Australia competed in, averaging 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing 10.1 minutes per game.
Bolden was a part of the Australian Boomers team that played against USA at Marvel Stadium in 2019 but left the team afterwards and was replaced by David Barlow.
He also played for the Australia national under-19 basketball team in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
NBA EXPERIENCE
Jonah Bolden was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with pick #36 in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Bolden played a season-and-a-half with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Phoenix Suns.
Bolden played 51 games in the NBA. He averaged 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game over his NBA career.
NBA TRANSACTIONS:
- July 10, 2013: Traded by the New York Knicks (as a future 2017 2nd round draft pick) with Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a 2014 2nd round draft pick (Xavier Thames was later selected) and a 2016 1st round draft pick (Jakob Pöltl was later selected) to the Toronto Raptors for Andrea Bargnani.
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July 10, 2014: Traded by the Toronto Raptors (as a future 2017 2nd round draft pick) with Steve Novak to the Utah Jazz for Diante Garrett.
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August 26, 2016: Traded by the Utah Jazz (as a future 2017 2nd round draft pick) with Tibor Pleiß and a 2017 2nd round draft pick (Alpha Kaba was later selected) to the Philadelphia 76ers for Kendall Marshall.
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June 22, 2017: Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2nd round (36th pick) of the 2017 NBA Draft.
-
July 25, 2018: Signed a multi-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers
February 7, 2020: Waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.
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February 12, 2020: Signed a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns.
| Season | Team | PTS | AST | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 56% | 60% | 68% | 86% | ||||||
| 2 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||||||
| Total | 155 | 335 | 46.3% | 57 | 181 | 31.5% |
NBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 24 | Philadelphia | C | 4 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 67% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 2 | 0% | 52% | 67% |
| 2019-20 | 24 | Phoenix | C | 3 | 0 | 33 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 25% | 0 | 3 | 0% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 34% | 25% |
| 2018-19 | 23 | Philadelphia | PF | 44 | 10 | 639 | 207 | 165 | 40 | 47 | 118 | 17 | 39 | 36 | 99 | 80 | 162 | 49% | 34 | 96 | 35% | 13 | 27 | 48% | 60% | 60% | Total | 51 | 10 | 686 | 217 | 174 | 40 | 50 | 124 | 20 | 41 | 38 | 109 | 84 | 173 | 49% | 34 | 100 | 34% | 15 | 31 | 48% |
NBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM | POS | GP | GS | MINS | PTS | TRB | AST | ORB | DRB | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 24 | Philadelphia | C | 4 | 0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 67% | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0% | 52% | 67% |
| 2019-20 | 24 | Phoenix | C | 3 | 0 | 11.0 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 25% | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.7 | 0.7 | 100% | 34% | 25% |
| 2018-19 | 23 | Philadelphia | PF | 44 | 10 | 14.5 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 49% | 0.8 | 2.2 | 35% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 48% | 60% | 60% | Total | 51 | 10 | 13.5 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 49% | 0.7 | 2.0 | 34% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 48% |
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Serbia - FMP (2016–2017) | Israel - Maccabi Tel Aviv (2017–2018) | Puerto Rico - Capitanes de Arecibo (2024), Cangrejeros de Santurace (2025)
Bolden started his professional career in Serbia with FMP in 2016–17, where he broke out as a versatile frontcourt scorer and rebounder and was named the ABA League Top Prospect after averaging 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game while ranking as the league’s 4th-leading rebounder across the regular season.
On 10 June 2017, Bolden signed a two-year contract with Crvena zvezda in Belgrade after his FMP season, but before playing a regular-season game for the club he was selected with the 36th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft and joined Philadelphia for the 2017 NBA Summer League in July.
Before suiting up for Crvena zvezda, Bolden’s European rights shifted again on 21 July 2017 when he signed a three-year deal with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv, stepping straight into a EuroLeague-level environment for the 2017–18 season.
His best single-game scoring output for Maccabi came on 12 December 2017, when he poured in a season-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 98–90 win over Ironi Nahariya, producing one of his most complete two-way performances of that campaign.
Bolden finished his year in Israel with silverware, winning the 2017 Israeli League Cup and the 2018 Israeli League Championship during his lone season with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
After returning to international club basketball later in his career, Bolden signed in Puerto Rico on 19 March 2024 with Capitanes de Arecibo in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
COLLEGE
Jonah Bolden committed to UCLA in December 2013, choosing the Bruins over Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, USC and SMU, and arrived as a highly rated recruit whose freshman season was impacted by eligibility complications tied to his late high-school transfer pathway from Australia.
Bolden was ruled ineligible and did not play in 2014–15, but the NCAA cleared him to practise with UCLA in January 2015, and he later underwent arthroscopic surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee in May 2015 with an expected recovery window of six to eight weeks.
Entering 2015–16, UCLA viewed Bolden as a rotation replacement for departed NBA wings Norman Powell and Kevon Looney, but his college debut was delayed after he violated unspecified team rules and was held out of the season opener, an 84–81 upset loss to Monmouth.
He made his first appearance the following game and immediately made an impact, scoring 11 points with five rebounds in an 88–83 win over Cal Poly, before making his first career start when centre Thomas Welsh was out sick against Louisiana–Lafayette in an 89–80 win.
After UCLA opened Pac-12 play 3–5 and searched for defensive improvement, Steve Alford moved Bolden into the starting group, and on February 14, 2016 he led the Bruins with a then career-high 16 points and nine rebounds in a 78–65 win over Arizona State.
UCLA finished 15–17 after losing its final five games, with Bolden appearing in 31 games and making 11 starts while averaging 4.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 21.7 minutes, and ranking third on the team with 27 blocks.
Feeling underutilised in his role, Bolden chose to leave UCLA after that sophomore season and begin a professional career despite having missed the window to declare for the 2016 NBA Draft.
AWARDS
- Israeli League champion (2018)
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Israeli League Cup winner (2017)
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ABA League Top Prospect (2017)
Related
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