Once regarded as a potential franchise centerpiece, Jahlil Okafor's NBA career appears to be coming to an end (for now at least), with a number of Chinese basketball league clubs reportedly eyeing the big man.
According to Sportando, Okafor may be on his way to China, as there appears to be no interest from NBA teams in signing the unrestricted free agent. There has reportedly been some curiosity from teams such as the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers, but it seems that they have decided to look elsewhere.
Prior to his days as a professional, the 6-foot-11 big man was a highly-touted talent coming out of high school. He played his one-and-done college season with Duke, leading the Blue Devils to an NCAA Championship in 2015 while collecting several personal accolades along the way.
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted him third overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, behind Karl Anthony-Towns and D'Angelo Russell. Notably, Okafor was picked ahead of the likes of Kirstaps Porzingis, Myles Turner, Devin Booker and Terry Rozier, to name a few.
Okafor had an outstanding rookie campaign with the 76ers, averaging 17.5 points on 50.8 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per contest, and was selected as part of the All-Rookie First Team. A season-ending meniscus tear overshadowed an otherwise stellar year. With the injury carrying over to his sophomore year, and along with the arrival of Joel Embiid, Okafor was simply unable to make his mark in his second season.
In December of last year, the 76ers shipped off Okafor to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal that brought Trevor Booker to Philadelphia. He never really got it going in Brooklyn, suiting up for only 26 games, with averages of 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 12.6 minutes off the bench.
Best of luck to Jahlil and we all hope a return to the NBA is on the horizon.
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