Why Sydney King’s star Jonah Bolden came back to basketball

In October of 2018, Jonah Bolden achieved his basketball dream, when he made his NBA debut for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Bolden had played for UCLA in college, and had bounced around Europe and Asia, but he had finally made it to his sport’s greatest league.

The Australian spent the next two years in the American league – one and a half seasons with Philadelphia, and a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns – before electing to completely retire from the sport at age 25.

The Australian spent the next two years in the American league – one and a half seasons with Philadelphia, and a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns – before electing to completely retire from the sport at

But three years on, and Bolden is back, joining the reigning back-to-back NBL champions the Sydney Kings. But why did he return?

Why did Jonah Bolden retire?

The Australian basketball community was shocked when Jonah Bolden announced his retirement, with many believing he was deserving of another stint in the NBA.

But according to the player himself, his departure from basketball was less to do with ability, and more related to mindset, telling the Just Bricks podcast that he wasn’t enjoying playing.

• “[The decision to retire] wasn’t clear, it was something that kind of just took months, to be honest,” Bolden said.