According to Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly, Jahlil Okafor will start school at Duke again next month as he continues his pursuit of a college degree.
After finishing his rookie season, Jahlil is following through on a promise he made to his late mother that he would finish his college education even if he made it into the NBA.
“Everybody in my family has a degree of some sort,” Okafor said. “My dad has his Master’s. My aunt, who’s like my mom now, she has her Ph.D. It was always instilled in me — the importance of getting a degree.”
However, the young Sixers‘ star won't be letting the books get in the way of getting on the court. He intends to reunite with his former coach and college coaching legend, Mike Krzyzewski.
“I’ll be down there, [to] work out, get healthy of course, and be under the leadership of Coach K a little bit,” Okafor said.
Okafor averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 30.0 minutes over 53 games this past season. He finished second in scoring among rookies.
“My goal is to get better every day.” he said. “I think I was able to accomplish that.”
Given how easy it would be for him to push it aside, Okafor's continued pursuit is both impressive and a refreshing example that more young NBA one-and-done players should consider.
Follow Us
Subscribe