It’s probably not as satisfying as a return to the NBA stage. Even so, standing as the premier talent in the G League this season says plenty about the resilience of Duke basketball product Jahlil Okafor.
As of the third round of fan vote returns this week, the 2015 Blue Devil national champion and former No. 3 overall draft pick, now 29 years old and out of the NBA since 2020-21 in part due to injury hurdles throughout his professional career, is the leading vote-getter for the NBA G League Up Next Game. The showcase is slated for Sunday, Feb. 16, part of All-Star weekend in San Francisco.
Through 24 appearances for the Indiana Mad Ants, Jahlil Okafor is averaging 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-10, 270-pound Chicago native, who ranked No. 1 overall on the 247Sports 2014 Composite when he arrived in Durham for prolific one-and-done campaign, is shooting 65.3 percent from the field and 80.0 percent at the charity stripe.
And his Mad Ants sit No. 2 in the G League Eastern Conference standings.
Okafor has suited up for four NBA franchises, averaging 10.4 points and 4.7 boards in 247 regular season outings across his five seasons in the league. Again, though, he’s still aiming to get a call up for the first time in about four years.