Isaac Bonga

Bonga was born in Neuwied, Germany to parents originally from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.{{cite web|last1=Givony|first1=Jonathan|title=NBA Basketball Without Borders Europe Camp Top Prospects|url=http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Basketball-Without-Borders-Europe-Camp-Top-Prospects-5662/|publisher=DraftExpress|access-date=April 10, 2018|date=September 12, 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Hein|first1=David|title=Leadership, taking responsibility atop Bonga's development list|url=http://www.adidasngt.com/u18/news/latest/i/7jfmc66n5fsgwb4i/leadership-taking-responsibility-atop-bonga-s-development-list|publisher=Adidas Next Generation Tournament|access-date=April 10, 2018|date=January 13, 2017}} His father emigrated to Germany in the early 1990s with plans to move to Canada, but he instead stayed in the country and began living in Frankfurt and then Koblenz.{{cite web|last1=Hein|first1=David|title="If people think I'm good or not, I'm not interested in that" – German talent Bonga|url=http://www.heinnews.com/basketball/nba/if-people-think-im-good-or-not-im-not-interested-in-that-german-talent-bonga/|publisher=HeinNews|access-date=April 10, 2018|date=January 13, 2017}} Bonga's older brother Tarsis plays association football for Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, while his younger brother Joshua also plays basketball.{{Cite news|title=Joshua Bonga signs multi year deal with Zalgiris Kaunas|language=en-US|work=Sportando|url=https://sportando.basketball/en/joshua-bonga-signs-multi-year-deal-with-zalgiris-kaunas/|access-date=August 12, 2021}} At age seven, Bonga began playing streetball in Neuwied, and two years later, he joined the local club.

Bonga is a product of Post SV Koblenz, and logged his first minutes in senior basketball during the 2014–15 season, when competing in Germany's fifth-tier level 2 Regionalliga with SG Lützel-Post Koblenz. After winning the championship with the team, and earning a league promotion to the fourth division (Regionalliga), he saw action in 24 games during the 2015–16 Regionalliga season, averaging 5.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2 assists per contest. He also represented the under-19 squad of Eintracht Frankfurt, in Germany's top-junior division NBBL.{{Cite web|url=http://statistik.basketball-bundesliga.de/nbbl-jbbl/statistik/spieler/index.php?team=1017&saison=2015&spieler_id=26805|title=NBBL / JBBL – Spieler-Statistik – Eintracht Frankfurt / FRAPORT SKYLINERS|website=statistik.basketball-bundesliga.de|access-date=June 18, 2016|archive-date=June 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618112619/http://statistik.basketball-bundesliga.de/nbbl-jbbl/statistik/spieler/index.php?team=1017&saison=2015&spieler_id=26805|url-status=dead}}

In June 2016, Bonga signed a four-year deal with Skyliners Frankfurt of the Basketball Bundesliga.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fraport-skyliners.de/news/artikel/datum/2016/06/03/fraport-skyliners-verpflichten-nachwuchs-nationalspieler-isaac-bonga/|title=FRAPORT SKYLINERS verpflichten Nachwuchs-Nationalspieler Isaac Bonga|website=fraport-skyliners.de|access-date=June 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618112620/http://www.fraport-skyliners.de/news/artikel/datum/2016/06/03/fraport-skyliners-verpflichten-nachwuchs-nationalspieler-isaac-bonga/|archive-date=June 18, 2016|url-status=dead}} He was invited to the NBA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Virginia, the same month.{{Cite web|url=http://www.hoopseen.com/news/event/201606/2016-nba-top-100-camp-player-roster|title=2016 NBA Top 100 camp player roster|website=hoopseen.com|access-date=June 18, 2016}} Bonga was one of the top European prospects to be picked to attend the 2016 Basketball without Borders Camp Europe in Helsinki in September 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.basketball-bund.de/news/teams/jugend/u18-herren/bonga-herkenhoff-basketball-without-borders-164198|title=Bonga und Herkenhoff bei Basketball without Borders |website=Deutscher Basketball-Bund|access-date=July 29, 2016|archive-date=July 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729214647/http://www.basketball-bund.de/news/teams/jugend/u18-herren/bonga-herkenhoff-basketball-without-borders-164198|url-status=dead}}

Bonga made his Bundesliga debut for the Skyliners at age 16 on September 23, 2016, in an 84–55 loss to Brose Bamberg, as he played 28 seconds.{{Cite web|url=http://www.easycredit-bbl.de/de/n/spielberichte/2016-17/live/2016-09-23-bam-fra/#specialnavi=32|title=2016-09-23 BAM-FRA|website=Basketball-Bundesliga|access-date=September 23, 2016}}

On May 1, 2017, Bonga signed with agents Jason Ranne and Thad Foucher to enter the 2018 NBA draft,{{cite tweet|user=DraftExpress|author=Jonathan Givony|number=859078911950331904|date=May 1, 2017|title=Jason Ranne and Thad Foucher of @Wasserman have signed elite 1999 German prospect Isaac Bonga for the 2018 NBA draft, the agency announces.}} and entered the 2018 NBA draft as one of 54 international players to enter the draft that year.{{cite web|last1=Boone|first1=Kyle|title=NBA Draft 2018: Who's staying in and who's going back to college after testing the waters|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/nba-draft-2018-whos-staying-in-and-whos-going-back-to-college-after-testing-the-waters/|website=CBSSports.com|date=May 31, 2018 |access-date=June 27, 2018}} On June 21, 2018, Bonga was selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers. On July 6, the Lakers officially acquired Bonga in a trade involving the 76ers trading him to the Lakers in exchange for a 2019 second round pick and cash considerations.{{cite web |title=Lakers Acquire Isaac Bonga in Trade with Philadelphia |url=https://www.nba.com/lakers/releases/180706bonga-trade-philadelphia |website=Lakers.com |date=July 6, 2018}} After the acquisition, he signed a rookie scale contract with the Lakers.{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/lakers/releases/180706-lakers-sign-isaac-bonga|title=Lakers Sign Isaac Bonga|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=July 6, 2018|access-date=July 6, 2018}} He was assigned to their NBA G League team South Bay Lakers on October 22, after having appeared in preseason contests for the Los Angeles Lakers.{{Cite news|url=https://southbay.gleague.nba.com/news/los-angeles-lakers-assign-isaac-bonga-to-south-bay/|title=Los Angeles Lakers assign Isaac Bonga to South Bay|work=South Bay Lakers|access-date=October 29, 2018|archive-date=April 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418011807/https://southbay.gleague.nba.com/news/los-angeles-lakers-assign-isaac-bonga-to-south-bay/|url-status=dead}} In his G League debut on November 3, Bonga scored 27 points in a 108–106 loss to the Stockton Kings.{{Cite news|url=https://gleague.nba.com/games/20181103/STOSBL/|title=11/03/18: Stockton Kings @ South Bay Lakers |work=NBA G League|access-date=November 4, 2018}}

He made his NBA debut on December 7, 2018, playing one minute and seven seconds against the San Antonio Spurs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/leaguepass/|title=Features {{!}} National Basketball Association|publisher=National Basketball Association|access-date=December 8, 2018}} On December 20, 2018, Bonga was sent back to the G League.{{cite web|title=Lakers' Isaac Bonga: Shipped back to G League|url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/lakers-isaac-bonga-shipped-back-to-g-league/|website=CBS Sports|access-date=February 1, 2019|date=December 20, 2018}} Bonga saw the hardwood in 22 games in his NBA rookie season to average 0.9 points and 1.1 rebounds.{{Cite web|url=https://stats.nba.com/player/1629067/|title=Isaac Bonga|website=NBA Stats|language=en|access-date=April 14, 2019}} In G League play, he tallied 11.9 points per game in 31 contests as a rookie.{{Cite web|url=https://gleague.nba.com/player/isaac-bonga/|title=Isaac Bonga|website=NBA G League|language=en-US|access-date=April 14, 2019}}

File:Isaac Bonga drive (cropped).jpg

On July 5, 2019, Bonga was traded to the Washington Wizards in a three-team trade.{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/wizards/wizards-acquire-wagner-bonga-jones-lakers-trade|title=Wizards acquire Wagner, Jones and Bonga from Lakers|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=July 5, 2019}} With the Wizards, he averaged 5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists per game in his first year (2019–20). In the 2020–21 season, he averaged 2 points, 1.7 rebounds and .6 assists per contest.{{Cite web|title=Isaac Bonga Stats|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bongais01.html|access-date=May 31, 2021|website=Basketball-Reference.com|language=en}}

Bonga signed with the Toronto Raptors as a free agent on August 12, 2021.{{Cite web|date=August 11, 2021|title=Raptors sign F Bonga to contract|url=https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-raptors-isaac-bonga-1.1680728|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=TSN|language=en}} He saw action in 15 regular season games and had one playoff appearance, but never broke through.{{Cite web |date=August 4, 2022 |title=2021–22 Seasons in Review: Khem Birch, Malachi Flynn, Isaac Bonga, and David Johnson |url=https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2022/08/04/2021-22-season-in-review-khem-birch-malachi-flynn-isaac-bonga-and-david-johnson/ |access-date=August 19, 2022 |website=Raptors Republic |language=en}}

On August 19, 2022, Bonga signed a two-year deal with German powerhouse Bayern Munich.{{Cite web |date=August 19, 2022 |title=Die Bayern holen Nationalspieler Isaac Bonga aus der NBA zurück |url=https://fcbayern.com/basketball/de/news/2022-23/08/bonga2024 |access-date=August 19, 2022 |website=FC Bayern München}} With the Munich team, Bonga won the 2024 German championship as well as the 2023 and 2024 German Cup championship.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-14 |title=Sieg in Berlin: Bayerns Basketballer sind Deutscher Meister |url=https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/sport/basketball-bbl-playoff-alba-bayern-100.html |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=ZDF |language=de}} On July 10, 2024, Bonga parted ways with the German club.

On August 20, 2024, Bonga signed with Partizan of the ABA League, Basketball League of Serbia (KLS) and the EuroLeague.{{cite web|title=Crno-bela simfonija: Nova energija i duh tradicije Partizana na ulasku u sezonu 2024-25|url=https://partizan.basketball/vesti/aktuelno/3738|website=Partizan.basketball|date=August 20, 2024|access-date=August 20, 2024|language=Serbian}}{{cite web|first=Igor|last=Petrinovic|title=Partizan reels Isaac Bonga to Belgrade|url=https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kk-partizan-reels-in-isaac-bonga-to-belgrade/|website=EuroLeagueBasketball.net|date=August 19, 2024|access-date=August 19, 2024}}{{Cite web |title=Isaac Bonga on joining Partizan: 'It wasn't an easy decision' |url=https://basketnews.com/news-210930-isaac-bonga-on-joining-partizan-it-wasnt-an-easy-decision.html |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=basketnews.com |language=en}} In his debut season with Partizan, Bonga averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds over 30 EuroLeague games.

{{Euroleague player statistics legend}}

{{Euroleague player statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23

| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Bayern Munich

| 30 || 22 || 20.3 || .391 || .333 || .804 || 3.9 || 1.1 || .8 || .1 || 6.4 || 6.8

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24

| 31 || 21 || 19.9 || .439 || .299 || .795 || 4.2 || 1.2 || .7 || .3 || 5.8 || 7.2

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2024–25

| style="text-align:left;"| Partizan

| 30 || 20 || 25.0 || .442 || .412 || .933 || 4.5 || 1.1 || .7 || .5 || 7.7 || 9.8

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 91 || 63 || 21.7 || .424 || .358 || .843 || 4.2 || 1.1 || .7 || .3 || 6.6 || 7.9

{{S-end}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2018}}

| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers

| 22 || 0 || 5.5 || .152 || .000 || .600 || 1.1 || .7 || .4 || .2 || .9

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2019}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Washington

| 66 || 49 || 18.9 || .504 || .352 || .812 || 3.4 || 1.2 || .7 || .3 || 5.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2020}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Washington

| 40 || 8 || 10.8 || .370 || .277 || .625 || 1.7 || .6 || .3 || .2 || 2.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2021}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Toronto

| 15 || 0 || 4.6 || .231 || .250 || .625 || .5 || .3 || .5 || .1 || .8

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 143 || 57 || 13.1 || .432 || .300 || .759 || 2.2 || .8 || .5 || .3 || 3.1

{{S-end}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2021

| style="text-align:left;"| Washington

| 4 || 0 || 2.5 || .000 || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || .2 || 0.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2022

| style="text-align:left;"| Toronto

| 1 || 0 || 3.0 || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || 1.000 || 1.0 || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || 2.0

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 5 || 0 || 2.6 || .000 || .000 || 1.000 || .2 || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || .2 || 0.4

{{S-end}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17

| style="text-align:left;"| Skyliners Frankfurt

| 4 || 0 || 3.2 || .000 || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || .5 || .7 || {{sort|-|—}} || 0.0

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 4 || 0 || 3.2 || .000 || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || {{sort|-|—}} || .5 || .7 || {{sort|-|—}} || 0.0

{{S-end}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;"

! Year

! Team

! League

! {{Tooltip|GP|Games played}}

! {{Tooltip|MPG|Minutes per game}}

! {{Tooltip|FG%|Field goal percentage}}

! {{Tooltip|3P%|3-point field-goal percentage}}

! {{Tooltip|FT%|Free-throw percentage}}

! {{Tooltip|RPG|Rebounds per game}}

! {{Tooltip|APG|Assists per game}}

! {{Tooltip|SPG|Steals per game}}

! {{Tooltip|BPG|Blocks per game}}

! {{Tooltip|PPG|Points per game}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Germany|size=20px}} Skyliners Juniors || style="text-align:center;"|ProB || 21 || 27.7 || .385 || .230 || .695 || 6.2 || 3.9 || 1.2 || .7 || 10.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Germany|size=20px}} Skyliners Frankfurt || style="text-align:center;"|BBL || 15 || 9.0 || .370 || .000 || .333 || 1.2 || .5 || .5 || .1 || 1.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Germany|size=20px}} Skyliners Juniors || style="text-align:center;"|ProB || 7 || 26.5 || .458 || .259 || .900 || 5.0 || 3.0 || 2.4 || .7 || 14.3

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Germany|size=20px}} Skyliners Frankfurt || style="text-align:center;"|BBL || 33 || 21.3 || .420 || .343 || .921 || 3.1 || 2.3 || 1.0 || .4 || 6.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|size=20px}} South Bay Lakers || style="text-align:center;"|G League || 31 || 28.1 || .432 || .344 || .816 || 6.2 || 2.7 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 11.9

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA|size=20px}} Raptors 905 || style="text-align:center;"|G League || 24 || 28.0 || .447 || .297 || .784 || 9.5 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .8 || 13.2

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Germany|size=20px}} Bayern Munich || style="text-align:center;"|BBL || 35 || 22.0 || .475 || .407 || .750 || 5.1 || 1.7 || .6 || .3 || 8.8

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24 || style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|Germany|size=20px}} Bayern Munich || style="text-align:center;"|BBL || 41 || 19.6 || .508 || .447 || .786 || 4.6 || 1.7 || .7 || .7 || 8.3

{{S-end}}

File:2023-08-09 Deutschland gegen Kanada (Basketball-Länderspiel) by Sandro Halank–072 (cropped).jpg during a 2023 game]]

Bonga played at both the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for the German under-16 national team.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/115726/sid/11538/tid/288/_/2015_U16_European_Championship_Men/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205122212/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/115726/sid/11538/tid/288/_/2015_U16_European_Championship_Men/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 5, 2020|title=Isaac Evolue Etue B. Bonga profile, U16 European Championship Men 2015|website=FIBA.COM|access-date=June 18, 2016}} In 2017, he participated in the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup with the German under-19 national team, averaging 6.6 points in seven contests{{Cite web|url=http://www.fiba.basketball/fr/world/u19/2017/Germany#tab=overview,average_statistics|title=Allemagne at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 – FIBA.basketball|website=FIBA.basketball|language=fr-FR|access-date=July 9, 2017}} en route to a fifth-place finish.

In November 2017, he was named to the senior German men's national team roster for the first time in his career, to take part in the qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.{{Cite web|url=http://www.basketball-bund.de/news/dbb-herren-roedl-nominiert-kader-179685|title=DBB-Herren: Rödl nominiert Kader – Deutscher Basketball Bund|website=basketball-bund.de|date=November 3, 2017 |access-date=November 4, 2017}} Aged 18 and three months, he made his German senior national team debut on February 23, 2018, in a World Cup qualifier against Serbia, becoming the youngest German player to play for the senior team in 40 years.{{Cite news|url=https://www.kicker.de/quali-ueberraschung_deutschland-schlaegt-serbien-718089/artikel|title=Quali-Überraschung: Deutschland schlägt Serbien|last=Germany|first=kicker online, Nürnberg|work=kicker online|access-date=February 23, 2018|language=de-DE}} Bonga played for Germany at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In four appearances (four starts) at the Olympics, he averaged 8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.{{Cite web|title=Allemagne at the Tokyo 2020 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament 2020|url=http://www.fiba.basketball/fr/olympics/men/2020/team/Germany|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=FIBA.basketball|language=fr}}

{{reflist}}

{{commons}}

• {{basketballstats}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180710071227/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/p/rpp//q/isaac%20bonga/pid//_//players.html Isaac Bonga] at fiba.com
• [http://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Isaac_Bonga/Germany/Fraport-Skyliners-Frankfurt/323908 Issac Bonga] at eurobasket.com

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Category:1999 births

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