Jahlil Okafor has reached an agreement with the Pacers on a training camp contract, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 28-year-old center, who was selected by Philadelphia with the third pick in the 2015 draft, gets a chance to return to the NBA after three years away. Pacers officials watched him in workouts over the summer and were impressed by his conditioning level, Charania adds.
Okafor has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.
Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate at the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade on Friday.
Okafor averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in his first season and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting, but he wasn’t able to sustain that level of success. He was traded to Brooklyn after a little more than two seasons with the Sixers, and played two years in New Orleans before moving on to Detroit.
The Pacers only have 12 players in camp with fully guaranteed contracts, so Okafor should have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot. They will be at the offseason limit of 21 players once his signing becomes official.
Hey this is epic!!!!
“We got money ”
– Jahlil Okafor
Well, he’s earned $21.5 MM in NBA salaries alone. Most likely more than those who mock him would see in three lifetimes.
lol
Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time
Scrubs getting the most chances….
Was always a neutral NBA supporter until the Sixers draft Jahil and he balled out as a rookie. Was a joke between mates that I chose the worst team to support but I mean we up now. Glad this guys still getting opportunities and balling hard. He’s the kinda guy that would kill in the NBL
Comment proves why Australia is down under.
I’m happy for him. He deserves to be in the league
Okafor benefited tremendously from playing alongside T.J. McConnell during his time with the Sixers, from the 2015 Summer League all the way to the NBA.
Maybe McConnell can help out his old pal one more time.