As expected, Sixers second-round pick Jonah Bolden will spend at least one more season overseas before joining his new NBA team. Bolden has signed a three-year contract with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team confirmed today in a press release. The deal will include NBA opt-outs.
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Bolden, 21, already has some international experience. In 2016, the 6’10” power forward opted to forgo his remaining two years of college eligibility, but made the decision in July, a month after the NBA draft. Instead of spending the 2016/17 season at UCLA, he headed to Serbia and played for FMP Beograd.
Bolden was a key contributor for his Serbian club, averaging a team-high 12.1 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 15 Serbian League games. He also averaged 12.9 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 25 ABA League contests, and showed an ability to hit outside shots, making over 40% of his overall three-point attempts.
The Sixers made a big splash in this year’s draft by trading for the No. 1 overall pick and nabbing Markelle Fultz, but the team also had three more picks — Anzejs Pasecniks (No. 25), Bolden (No. 36), and Mathias Lessort (No. 50). All three of those players are expected to play ball overseas for at least one more season.