Australian forward Jonah Bolden has agreed to a one-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks, sources told ESPN.
Out of Sydney, Bolden was among the most credentialed local players left on the market, and joins a Hawks team loading up for an NBL championship defence.
The signing of Bolden will come just days after the Hawks inked 16-year NBA veteran JaVale McGee to a one-year deal, giving head coach Justin Tatum an imposing and experienced frontcourt.
The 6'10 forward was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 36th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He would go on to take part in two seasons with the 76ers, and one with the Phoenix Suns, before stepping away from basketball.
Bolden returned to the sport for the 2023-24 season with the Sydney Kings, where he averaged 8.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and shooting 38 percent from downtown.
The 29-year-old is coming off a season in Puerto Rico with Capitanes de Arecibo, where he averaged 7.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Prior to that, he was in the NBL with the New Zealand Breakers, where he averaged 6.0 points and 5.8 rebounds a contest.
With the signing, Bolden will join McGee, Tyler Harvey, Will Hickey, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Froling, Daniel Grida, Todd Blanchfield, Mason Peatling, and Harry Froling (NRP) on the Hawks' roster going into the 2025-26 NBL season.
The Hawks are still pursuing an import point guard, sources said, and also have one local spot remaining.