3 Interesting Facts To Know About MSU's Anton Bonke

Michigan State hasn't needed to be very busy during this season's transfer portal cycle.

The Spartans still have one roster spot open, but the only transfer portal player MSU has added is Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke. Assuming he withdraws from the NBA Draft, the 7-foot-2 Bonke will have one of the more interesting backstories of anyone who has put on a Michigan State uniform. These three facts help illustrate Bonke's unusual path to East Lansing:

Born in the Netherlands, From Vanuatu

What percentage of people do you think can point out Vanuatu on a map? If you hadn't even really heard about Vanuatu before this, I wouldn't necessarily blame you. It's an island nation located northeast of Australia, with a population of only about 340,000, roughly the size of Anaheim, Calif. The country gained independence from the United Kingdom and France in 1980.

Bonke didn't even start there. He was actually born in the Netherlands. According to a Q&A from his time at Eastern Arizona College, where Bonke spent his freshman year, he moved to Port Vila, Vanuatu, when he was three years old after his parents separated. Even then, deciding to move from the Netherlands to Vanuatu is also pretty crazy. The distance between Amsterdam and Port Vila is nearly 10,000 miles; the circumference of the Earth is a bit less than 25,000 miles.

Started Playing Basketball at 16

Feb 8, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Sincere Parker (23) shoots the ball against Charlotte 49ers center Anton Bonke (49) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Bonke is also very new to basketball. Vanuatu isn't exactly known as a basketball hotbed. Their men's national team is ranked 160th out of 160 teams. Bonke wasn't totally unfamiliar with hoops there, but he said he only started playing in a local men's league when he was 16. One can only imagine that the competition, especially for somebody of Bonke's height, wasn't the greatest.

The fact that playing competitive hoops for Bonke, who turns 22 in August, is new is evident in his progress during his collegiate career. He went from averaging 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game at a junior college as a true freshman to averaging 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds just two years later at the Division I level.

Tallest Player in MSU History

It's a bit of a surprise, but Bonke is set to become the tallest player in Michigan State history. He'd actually be the tallest player in program history if he were an inch shorter at 7-foot-1. The Spartans have had plenty of players at 7-foot-0, according to the team's letterwinners' record book, but no one above that.

This one doesn't necessarily mean a ton, since 7-foot-2 isn't the craziest height for a basketball player ever, but it's fun to know.

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