Anton Bonke

Anton Bonke
Michigan State Spartans
PositionCenter
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2004-08-04) August 4, 2004
Netherlands
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High schoolLycée Français J. M. G. Le Clézio
(Port Vila, Vanuatu)
College
Career history
2021Seveners United
Career highlights
  • Shefa Basketball League champion (2021)
Anton Bonke
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Vanuatu
Oceania U19 Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 virtual2000 m
Gold medal – first place2022 virtual500 m
Gold medal – first place2022 virtual1000 m
Bronze medal – third place2021 virtual500 m

Antonie Bonke (born August 4, 2004) is a Ni-Van college basketball player for the Michigan State Spartans. He previously played for the Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters, Providence Friars, and Charlotte 49ers. Bonke stands 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) and plays the center position.

Early life

Anton Bonke was born to Helle Bonke on August 4, 2004, and has two brothers.[1] According to him, his mother "always wanted to live on a tourist island".[2] Following his parents' separation, Bonke moved with his mother and his siblings from their native Netherlands to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia, before eventually settling in Port Vila, Vanuatu, when he was around five years old.[2][3] He grew up on the island of Efate and learned to speak Bislama.[3]

Bonke was raised around the water,[3] competing in open water swimming as well as short distance races.[4][5][6] He started rowing competitively in 2021 after serving as a training partner for Vanuatuan Olympic rower Rio Rii.[7] At his first international competition, Bonke won two historic medals for Vanuatu in the under-19 division at the 2021 Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships, including gold in the 2000 meter event and bronze in the 500 m.[8] This qualified him to represent Vanuatu at the 2022 World Rowing Junior Championships,[8] where he placed third in the D-final of the under-19 men's single sculls event.[9][10] Bonke received a scholarship to train in Australia under the guidance of Olympic medallist Laryssa Biesenthal in preparation for the event.[11] He later won two more gold medals in the under-19 division at the 2022 Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships, placing first in both the 500 m and 1000 m events.[12][13][14] However, Bonke stated that he saw rowing as more of a conditioning exercise and always dreamed of playing basketball in the United States.[2]

Early basketball career

Bonke attended Lycée Français J. M. G. Le Clézio in Port Vila,[1] though it did not have a basketball team, and graduated high school at age 16 due to skipping grades.[3] Instead, he played with a friend on the only hoop in the area and learned the game by watching online videos.[3] Bonke suited up for Seveners United of the Shefa Basketball League (SBL) in 2021,[4][15] helping them win the Shefa Independence Tournament,[16] the SBL championship final,[17] and the Shefa Closing of the Year Tournament.[18] During a trip to Australia, he met the National Basketball League player Jason Cadee, who helped him send his tape to American coaches.[2] To further increase his exposure, Bonke relocated to Davis, California, where he stayed with a friend's family.[2][3] "I spent alot [sic] of time at rec centers, and fitness centers playing pick up basketball", he said. "I hadn't gotten to do this back home, so it was alot of fun to just play with other good players."[2] While in Davis, Bonke met someone who played at Eastern Arizona College (EAC) and was able to connect him with the EAC coaching staff.[2][3] He drove to the school's campus in Thatcher, Arizona, worked out for the coaches, and was offered a full scholarship to play college basketball at EAC.[2][3]

College career

Bonke played his first season of college basketball at Eastern Arizona in 2023–2024, averaging 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 17 appearances (including 16 starts) for the Gila Monsters.[1] He reportedly attracted several mid-major offers after his very first game with the team.[3] In January 2024, it was announced that Bonke would be enrolling at Providence College for the spring semester after visiting the school the previous month, joining the Friars under head coach Kim English as a midyear transfer.[19][20] However, due to midyear transfer rules, he was ineligible to compete in games and was limited to practices for the remainder for the 2023–24 season.[19] In 2024–25, Bonke averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in limited minutes for the Friars.[21] After the conclusion of the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.[22][23]

In 2025, Bonke transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to play for the 49ers under head coach Aaron Fearne.[24] In his team debut on November 3, 2025, he posted a double-double, recording 10 points and 14 rebounds in a 92–76 win over Indiana State; he was declared "the center [the] 49ers need" in The Charlotte Observer.[25][26] On January 28, 2026, Bonke scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in an 80–76 overtime win over Temple.[27] On February 25, he made two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining to seal an 80–79 comeback win over North Texas.[28] On March 12, in the second round of the American Conference tournament, Bonke registered a career-high 16 rebounds in a 74–60 win over Tulane.[29][30] He appeared in all 34 games (including 32 starts) on the season, averaging 10.6 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game.[30]

After one season at Charlotte, Bonke entered the transfer portal in 2026 as a graduate student.[31][32] He was rated as a four-star transfer recruit as well as the No. 13 and No. 21 center in the portal by Rivals.com and 247Sports, respectively.[33][34] Bonke also declared for the 2026 NBA draft, while maintaining his NCAA eligibility through the draft process.[35] On April 22, he committed to transfer to Michigan State University, while simultaneously remaining in the draft process.[36][37] Bonke withdrew his name from the draft a few days later.[38]

National team career

Bonke has reportedly expressed interest in playing for the Vanuatu men's national basketball team. In 2026, national team head coach Sam Lewis stated, "If we can bring him into the squad, it changes everything."[39]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Providence 1616.6.750–.5001.20.3–0.31.3
2025–26 Charlotte 343225.6.576.342.6538.31.00.21.510.6

Personal life

Bonke's older brother is a retired commercial diver in Vanuatu, while his younger brother also plays basketball.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Anton Bonke". Providence Friars. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Patterson, Lee (December 12, 2023). "Q and A with Eastern Arizona's Anton Bonke". GilaValleyCentral. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Stacom, Kevin (April 30, 2024). "Anton Bonke's Odyssey From a Country You Have Never Heard of to PC". GoLocalProv. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Antonie Bonke". Next College Student Athlete. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Another sucessfull [sic] swim day recorded over the weekend". Vanuatu Daily Post. October 12, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ Natoga, Anasilini (December 9, 2021). "More than 40 participates in BRED Bank SWIMRUN". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  7. ↑ Natoga, Anasilini (July 30, 2022). "Rower Anton Bonke makes it to the top 16 round at the World Junior Rowing Championships". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Vanuatu Rower wins two medals at Oceania Indoor Rowing Championship". Vanuatu Daily Post. November 2, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Antonie Bonke". World Rowing. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  10. ↑ "2022 World Rowing Under 19 & Under 23 Championships - interview with Antonie Bonke of Vanuatu". Row2k. July 30, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Changing of the Guard". Vanuatu Daily Post. June 8, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2022 Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships Virtual Platform". Rowing Australia. Retrieved May 25, 2026. Type "Bonke" in the search bar.
  13. ↑ "2022 Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships - Under 19 M (500m) 500 meter". time-team.nl. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ "2022 Oceania Indoor Rowing Championships - Under 19 M (1000m) 1000 meter". time-team.nl. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ Natoga, Anasilini (October 7, 2021). "Seveners men's basketball team too good for Takavanua". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  16. ↑ Abel, Jason (August 3, 2021). "Seveners Secures Top Spot In Independence Tourney". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  17. ↑ Natoga, Anasilini (November 9, 2021). "Siaraga and Seveners win WSB SHEFA basketball championship". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  18. ↑ Natoga, Anasilini (November 30, 2021). "Siaraga and Seveners win WSB SHEFA basketball closing of the year tournament". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Head Coach Kim English Adds Anton Bonke To The 2023-24 Roster". Providence Friars. January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  20. ↑ Koch, Bill (January 16, 2024). "Providence lands a 7-2 commit from the island nation of Vanuatu". The Providence Journal. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Anton Bonke". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ "PC Defections to the Transfer Portal Rise to 6". GoLocalProv. March 24, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  23. ↑ Koch, Bill (April 21, 2025). "Rhode Island, Providence College basketball transfer portal news". The Providence Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Charlotte Men's Basketball Adds 7-Foot-2 Anton Bonke". Charlotte 49ers. May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Bradford's Career Night Leads Charlotte's Opening Win Over Indiana State". Charlotte 49ers. November 3, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  26. ↑ Bailey, Hunter (November 3, 2025). "What we learned in Charlotte 49ers' opening win vs. Indiana State basketball". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Bonke's Breakout, Mingo's Passing Lead Charlotte's Comeback Effort". Charlotte 49ers. January 28, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Anton Bonke's Free Throws Clinch Charlotte's Comeback Win". Charlotte 49ers. February 25, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Anton Bonke". Charlotte 49ers. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  30. 1 2 "Tournament-Record Half Propels Charlotte to Second-Round Win". Charlotte 49ers. March 12, 2026. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  31. ↑ Hughes, Grant (March 24, 2026). "2026 Transfer Portal: Pair of 7-foot centers poised to draw massive interest from power programs". 247Sports. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  32. ↑ Chesanek, Will (March 24, 2026). "7-Foot-2 Center Enters College Basketball Transfer Portal". Athlon Sports. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Anton Bonke". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Anton Bonke". 247Sports. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  35. ↑ Maher, Rory (April 12, 2026). "Draft Notes: Boozer, Momcilovic, Bonke, Tobiason, More". HoopsRumors. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  36. ↑ Earegood, Connor (April 22, 2026). "Center Anton Bonke commits to Michigan State, remains in NBA Draft process". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  37. ↑ Birkle, Andrew (April 22, 2026). "Michigan State basketball lands 7-foot-2 transfer big man Anton Bonke". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  38. ↑ Solari, Chris (May 27, 2026). "Anton Bonke exits NBA Draft, officially transferring to MSU basketball". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  39. ↑ Molivakoro, Vourie (May 1, 2026). "Anton Bonke could transform Vanuatu basketball: Coach Lewis". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
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