This post was updated April 14 at 10:38 p.m.

Uncertainty surrounded the status of the Bruins’ starting big – until Friday.

Adem Bona will be declaring for the NBA Draft.

UCLA men’s basketball’s most experienced starter is set to pursue the league, he announced on Instagram on Friday. Following two years under coach Mick Cronin, the sophomore forward/center represents the latest Bruin to make the leap from college to the professional ranks. Bona did not specify whether he is keeping or forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility.

“I want to start out by thanking Coach Cronin, every single member of our coaching staff, and my teammates for making this possible. You all made me a better basketball player and a better man, and for that I’m forever grateful,” Bona wrote in his Instagram post. “But this is only the beginning. I’m so excited to see where this game is going to take me next. And with that being said, I would like to announce that I will be entering my name into the 2024 NBA Draft.”

Bona considered a similar dilemma last year, toying with the one-and-done idea of entering the draft process while still maintaining his NCAA eligibility. After securing Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors alongside Freshman of the Year in 2023, Bona tested the waters of the league while rehabilitating a shoulder injury incurred at the Pac-12 tournament. 

But he decided to withdraw from the Draft, positioning himself as a promising piece of the Bruins’ following campaign.

This time around, Bona is projected to go 55th overall in the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor’s mock draft and No. 39 in Bleacher Report’s rendition. 

“Adem has been tremendous to coach over the past two seasons,” Cronin said in a statement Friday. “We really believe that he’s just scratching the surface, in terms of his potential and ability to really thrive on the court. He has worked very hard in our program and has made significant strides on both ends of the court. We love Adem and we will always be here to support him in his basketball journey.”

As the sole starter from the 2022-2023 campaign to return, Bona emerged as a veteran leader for UCLA despite being a sophomore. Cronin never shied away from declaring Bona the best player on the floor for the Bruins, consistently instructing his players to feed the ball to him as much as possible. 

But – akin to his freshman self – Bona contended with foul trouble throughout the season, which limited his minutes and impact. Nonetheless, he averaged 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, up from 7.7 and 5.3, respectively, last year. Bona finished this season as the Bruins’ second-leading scorer, just shy of guard and fellow sophomore Dylan Andrews’ 12.9 scoring average. 

Bona ranked third in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage and second in blocked shots with an average of 1.8 per game. Following in the footsteps of his former teammate, guard Jaylen Clark, Bona and his defensive prowess earned him 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. 

With redshirt fifth-year forward/center Kenneth Nwuba exhausting his eligibility, freshman center Aday Mara stands as the only potential returnee at the five. UCLA has welcomed two guard transfers in USC’s Kobe Johnson and Louisville’s Skyy Clark but has yet to secure reinforcements in the paint.

Barring a surprise return, it appears likely Bona has donned a UCLA jersey for the final time.