Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti have battled since they were teenagers. Now, they are vying to be the Sixers’ backup center

Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti first met on the basketball floor as teenagers, while playing for the Turkish and German national team programs, respectively. They were on rival teams again when they reached the NBA, with the 76ers and New York Knicks.

Still, Bona smiled and said, “That’s my guy” when asked about Hukporti at Monday’s Sixers media day.

Now they are teammates, after Hukporti signed as a free agent following his stint as a deep reserve on the Knicks’ championship run. And their longstanding healthy competition has shifted internally, for an important role on this star-heavy Sixers roster with massive expectations. Bona and Hukporti, who are less proven than several of their bench counterparts, are the primary contenders to fill the backup center minutes behind Joel Embiid — and to start when Embiid inevitably misses games to manage his health.

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“People can say ‘battle’ or whatever,” Hukporti said following Thursday’s training camp practice. “But when it comes to the end goal, [you’re] coming together as a team and you produce as a team. It don’t matter. It can be me playing five minutes, [Bona] playing 15 minutes. Me playing 25 minutes, him playing 15. …

“Whoever gets in, gets in. Get the job done. Especially in the playoffs, we need everybody. We need all players.”

Hukporti would know. The 7-footer received spot minutes during the Knicks’ playoff tear, including in Game 1 of their second-round series sweep of the Sixers when All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and sound backup Mitchell Robinson got into early foul trouble.

Still, in an overwhelmingly lauded first offseason for new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey — which included signing all-time great LeBron James, trading for All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown, and adding role players such as Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons — the Hukporti signing arrived with the most uncertainty. The 24-year-old has logged 715 total minutes across 79 career games in his first two NBA seasons, averaging 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds.

The 6-10 Bona, meanwhile, held the Sixers’ backup center role for the bulk of last season. And in several games Embiid did not play, Bona maintained the reserve minutes behind veteran Andre Drummond, who coincidentally left Philly to sign with the Knicks in free agency.

Bona is an excellent athlete and shot-blocker, but is still raw offensively and has struggled with fouling and catching the ball. He averaged 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 71 games with 18 starts last season, and also has expressed a strong desire to play next to Embiid in big lineups. In July, the Sixers guaranteed Bona’s $2.3 million salary for the final year of his contract in 2026-27, creating a crucial season for the 23-year-old.

Yet with Bona sidelined with a foot sprain sustained while playing for Turkey over the summer, opportunity has surfaced for Hukporti so far during training camp.

While highlighting the Sixers’ new-look bench unit Thursday, coach Nick Nurse called Hukporti “athletic, long, [and] plays really hard. He’s been awesome to see.” Hukporti added that he hopes to showcase more of his offensive repertoire with the Sixers, with “quite-good” ball movement during early practices helping him get to his floater and around-the-rim finishes.

Hukporti’s current spot on the depth chart also has meant matching up against Embiid, who has impressed Hukporti with his post game and patience to get to his spots on the floor.

“Obviously, he was an MVP in this league,” Hukporti said of Embiid. “And it just makes me a way better defender.”

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Nurse said Thursday that Bona is expected to be reevaluated in the next couple days and could be available to play at some point during the preseason. Fellow returners Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, who both parlayed two-way contracts into standard deals last season, are small-ball center options. The 7-6 Tacko Fall, who is on an Exhibit 10 deal and in contention to land the Sixers’ final two-way contract, is out at least two weeks with a hip issue. James has even played center at points during his legendary career.

But the Sixers’ prime position battle begins with former “rivals” Bona and Hukporti, who have been competing against each other in some capacity since they were teenagers.

“Now we’re on the same team,” Hukporti said. “So it’s been nothing but a blessing.”