76ers center stuns LeBron, Bronny James with feat decades in the making
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On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers were facing an uphill climb despite being at home, as they hosted a Los Angeles Lakers team that has been playing well as of late and they were without Joel Embiid and Paul George — a familiar story amid their injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign. But contrary to expectations, the 76ers dominated the Lakers en route to a 118-104 victory — with many players stepping up for Philly, including rookie center Adem Bona.
Bona’s final stat line may not jump off the page; in 20 minutes of play for the 76ers, the 21-year-old put up four points and six rebounds, although he did swat away three shots — an impressive mark for someone who came off the bench. But what was most impressive was that Bona blocked both LeBron James, arguably the greatest player of all time, and his son Bronny James — giving him the distinction of being someone who has managed to reject a shot from two generations of LeBron Jameses, as pointed out by Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.
What is quickly endearing Bona to the 76ers coaching staff is his activityout on the floor; he may not be the most polished big man out there, especially on offense, but he more than makes up for it with his incredible effort levels as well as his athleticism. And the Lakers’ iconic father and son duo certainly learned who Bona was the hard way on Tuesday night.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Embiid’s health, Bona will have an opportunity to boost his stock even further. For rookies drafted in the second round, opportunities like this don’t come so often. It’s now up to the 76ers’ youngster to step up and prove that he’s going to be a keeper piece for the team for years to come.
Assessing the state of the 76ers’ season
Entering the 2024-25 campaign, the 76ers set their sights on competing for a championship following their blockbuster free-agent signing of Paul George. Alas, the 76ers haven’t been quite healthy, preventing them from gaining the reps so they could jell out on the court, and as a result, they’ve floundered, as they currently have an 18-27 record even after their win over the Lakers.
It’s not quite clear if Embiid will ever be healthy enough on a consistent basis this season, while George couldn’t seem to shake off the injury bug. And with the 76ers owing the Oklahoma City Thunder a top-six protected first-round pick, some lottery positioning shenanigans could be in order from Philly if push comes to shove.
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