For second Aussie, 76ers a dream team

THE Philadelphia 76ers have added to their Australian flavour by drafting 21year-old Jonah Bolden to play alongside last year’s No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons.

Bolden, a 208cm-tall Melbourne-born power forward, was selected by the 76ers with the 36th pick in yesterday’s NBA draft.

The 76ers are coached by Brett Brown, a former head coach of the Australia national team and two NBL sides.

Philadelphia also had the No. 1 pick in the draft and selected point guard Markelle Fultz, a star at the University of Washington.

Being drafted is a dream come true for Bolden, who grew up in Australia watching his US-born father Bruce Bolden, who was one of the greats of the NBL after 17 seasons with multiple NBL teams.

Simmons’s father Dave Simmons is also an American-born basketballer who went to the NBL and enjoyed Australia so much he stayed and raised a family.

The young Bolden endured two unsatisfying years at UCLA before turning professional and signing with a Serbian club where his play in the Adriatic League impressed NBA scouts.

The 76ers have had horror recent seasons but it qualified them for high draft picks, resulting in a roster of talented young players headed by Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Nik Stauskas and Jahlil Okafor.

Earlier in the draft, the NBL received a major endorsement when American 19year-old Terrance Ferguson, who played last season with Adelaide 36ers, was selected by Oklahoma City Thunder with the 21st pick.

The 76ers had the No. 1 pick for the second straight year after trading with the Boston Celtics on Monday. Now they add Fultz to a promising young core that includes Rookie of the Year finalists Embiid and Saric.