Jahlil Okafor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jahlil Okafor

Okafor during the 2015 NBA Summer League
No. 15 – Indiana Mad Ants
Center
Personal information
Born	(1995-12-15) December 15, 1995 (age 29) Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S.
Nationality	Nigerian / American
High school	Whitney Young (Chicago, Illinois)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College	Duke (2014–2015)
NBA Draft	2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	2015–present
League	NBA G League
Career history
2015–2017	Philadelphia 76ers
2017–2018	Brooklyn Nets
2018–2020	New Orleans Pelicans
2020–2021	Detroit Pistons
2022	Zhejiang Lions
2022–2023	Mexico City Capitanes
2023	Casademont Zaragoza
2023–2024	Zhejiang Lions
2024	Capitanes de Arecibo
2024–present	Indiana Mad Ants
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2016) BSN All-Star (2024) NCAA champion (2015) Consensus first-team All-American (2015) USBWA National Freshman of the Year (2015) Pete Newell Big Man Award (2015) ACC Player of the Year (2015) First-team All-ACC (2015) ACC Rookie of the Year (2015) Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year (2014) USA Today High School Player of the Year (2014) McDonald's All-American Game co-MVP (2014) First-team Parade All-American (2014) Illinois Mr. Basketball (2014) FIBA Under-17 World Cup MVP (2012)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States FIBA World U19 Cup Gold 2013 Czech Republic National team FIBA World U17 Cup Gold 2012 Lithuania National team FIBA Americas U16 Championship Gold 2011 Mexico National team

Jahlil Obika Okafor (born December 15, 1995) is a professional basketball player. He is Nigerian-American and currently plays for the Indiana Mad Ants in the NBA G League. Before joining the pros, he played one year of college basketball for Duke. His team won the national championship in 2015. The Philadelphia 76ers picked him as the third overall player in the 2015 NBA draft.

Jahlil was a top basketball player even before high school. He was ranked very high by scouts for many years. He played high school basketball in Chicago, Illinois, at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. There, he won several national player of the year awards. After high school, he joined Duke and was expected to be one of the best college players. At Duke, he won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and ACC Player of the Year awards. He was also chosen as a first-team All-American in 2015.

Early Life and Basketball Journey

Jahlil Okafor was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas. His father, Chukwudi, is a Nigerian-American of Igbo background. His mother, Dacresha Lanett Benton, had Bantu-American and European-American roots. When Jahlil was young, he lived in both Moffett, Oklahoma, with his mother and Chicago with his father.

A sad event happened when Jahlil was nine years old: his mother passed away. After this, Jahlil moved to Chicago permanently to live with his father. He later moved to Rosemont. It was hard for him to adjust because he was shy and very tall. Other students sometimes thought he was older than he was. By the time he was in seventh grade, he was already 6 feet 5 inches tall! Later, his family moved to Chicago's North Side so he could attend Whitney M. Young Magnet High School.

High School Basketball Success

Starting Strong: Freshman and Sophomore Years

Jahlil Okafor and his teammate Paul White were considered the best new players in the Chicago area when they started high school. They joined a strong team at Whitney Young High School. Jahlil, Paul, and another tall player, Thomas Hamilton Jr., were all ranked among the top players in the country for their age groups.

After his first year, Jahlil was seen as the second-best college basketball prospect in Chicago. Scouts said he had a much better jump shot, quick feet, and soft hands. His height (6 feet 9 inches) made him very hard to guard in high school. By August 2011, ESPN ranked him as the third best player in the class of 2014.

Jahlil and Paul White were even featured in a short documentary called Ball So Hard. During his sophomore year, Jahlil had a great game against rival Jabari Parker, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He was named to several All-State and All-City teams. By the end of his second year, people were already talking about him as one of the best high school players in the country.

Junior Year Highlights

In June 2012, Sports Illustrated recognized Jahlil as one of their "Future Game Changers." This group included young athletes who were considered the brightest talents in their sports. Many top colleges, like Kentucky, Ohio State, Duke, and North Carolina, offered him scholarships.

Jahlil was named one of the top 10 preseason All-USA players by USA Today. His team, Whitney Young, was also ranked highly nationally. In one big game, Jahlil led his team to a big win with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. This win moved Whitney Young to #2 in the national rankings.

Jahlil helped his team win the Public League Championship game in overtime, scoring 19 points, 14 rebounds, and making a game-saving block. He was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. He also finished as runner-up for the Illinois Mr. Basketball award. USA Today selected him for their first-team All-USA.

Senior Year and National Recognition

Okafor dunking during the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

Before his senior year, Jahlil announced that he would play college basketball for Duke. He made this decision along with his friend Tyus Jones. This made Duke's recruiting class the best in the nation.

Jahlil had an amazing senior season. He led a tournament in scoring (31 points per game) and rebounding (12.5 per game). He also won the tournament MVP award at the Cancer Research Classic. Jahlil and his team reached the city championship game, which was a very exciting quadruple-overtime loss.

On March 22, Jahlil and Whitney Young won the IHSA Class 4A state championship! He then played in several important national games. He was co-MVP of the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, scoring 17 points and making the winning dunk. He also played in the Nike Hoops Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic, where he was co-MVP again.

Jahlil was named the 2014 National Player of the Year by Parade and the McDonald's All-American Game organization. USA Today also recognized him as their national player of the year. He won the Illinois Mr. Basketball award and was named a first-team All-American by MaxPreps.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jahlil Okafor C	Chicago, IL	Whitney Young (IL)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	267.5 lb (121.3 kg)	Nov 15, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 1, 1 (C)   Rivals: 1, 1 (C)  ESPN: 1, 1 (IL), 1 (C)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College Career at Duke

Jahlil Okafor played for Duke for one season. Before the season started, many sports experts chose him as the Preseason Player of the Year. He was also picked for several Preseason All-American first teams.

He quickly showed his talent, earning the ACC Freshman of the Week award multiple times. In December, he had an amazing game with 25 points and 20 rebounds against Elon. This made him the first Duke freshman to get 20 rebounds in a game! He continued to play well, scoring a season-high 28 points against Boston College.

After the season, Jahlil was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year by both coaches and media. He was the first freshman ever to win this award! He was also named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year. He was a unanimous first-team All-American. Jahlil helped Duke win the national championship in 2015, scoring 10 key points in the final game. After this successful season, Jahlil decided to enter the 2015 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Journey

Philadelphia 76ers (2015–2017)

Okafor with the 76ers in 2016

On June 25, 2015, the Philadelphia 76ers chose Jahlil Okafor as the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He signed a two-year contract with the team. In his first game for the 76ers on October 28, he scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked two shots. On November 9, he achieved his first career double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

During his first season, Jahlil was named to the 2016 NBA All-Star Game weekend Rising Stars Challenge lineup. In February, he scored a career-high 31 points against the Dallas Mavericks. However, he later had to miss games due to a knee injury. He was ruled out for the rest of the season in March after tests showed a small tear in his right knee.

Despite the injury, Jahlil finished fifth in the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting. He also earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

For the 2016–17 NBA season, the 76ers used their option to keep Jahlil for a third year. He started the season with limited playing time to protect his knee. On January 14, 2017, he scored a season-high 26 points. He was again chosen to play in the Rising Stars Challenge during the All-Star weekend. On February 25, he had another strong game with 28 points and 10 rebounds. However, he was ruled out for the rest of the season in March due to continued right knee soreness.

Brooklyn Nets (2017–2018)

On December 7, 2017, Jahlil Okafor was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He made his debut for the Nets on his 22nd birthday, December 15, 2017, scoring 10 points. After his debut, the Nets worked to get him back into full playing shape. On January 27, he scored a team-high 21 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After the season, he became a free agent.

New Orleans Pelicans (2018–2020)

On August 9, 2018, Jahlil signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. He had a season-high 17 points in December. When teammate Anthony Davis was injured, Jahlil got more playing time. He set new season-highs in points and rebounds in several games in January, including 27 points and 12 rebounds against the Houston Rockets. He also had a career-high six blocks against the Detroit Pistons. In the last game of the Pelicans' season, Jahlil scored 30 points.

The Pelicans kept Jahlil for another year. On October 31, 2019, he scored 26 points in a win against the Denver Nuggets. On January 13, 2020, he had 25 points and 14 rebounds in an overtime win. Jahlil changed his jersey number from 8 to 9 to honor Kobe Bryant.

Detroit Pistons (2020–2021)

On December 1, 2020, Jahlil Okafor signed with the Detroit Pistons. He was later traded to the Brooklyn Nets in September 2021, but was waived by them shortly after. He then signed with the Atlanta Hawks but was also waived before the season started.

Playing Overseas and G League (2022–Present)

In February 2022, Jahlil signed with the Zhejiang Lions in China. Later that year, his G League rights were acquired by the Mexico City Capitanes. He played for them in the 2022–23 NBA G League season.

In July 2023, Jahlil signed with Casademont Zaragoza in Spain. In February 2024, he joined Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico.

On October 15, 2024, Jahlil signed with the Indiana Pacers but was waived the same day. He then joined the Indiana Mad Ants on October 27, where he currently plays.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

College

National Team Career

Playing for Team USA

Jahlil Okafor has proudly represented the United States in several international competitions. In 2011, he was part of the 12-man team for the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. In the gold medal game, he scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

He also played for Team USA at the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Cup. He was even named the MVP of this tournament, helping the United States win the gold medal. He averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

In 2013, Jahlil was selected for the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship team. The team won the gold medal, and Jahlil was named to the All-Tournament team. He led the tournament in field goal percentage, shooting 77%.

Representing Nigeria

On February 23, 2020, Jahlil Okafor announced that he would play for the Nigeria national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He averaged nine points per game during the group stage of the tournament.

Personal Life and Interests

Okafor (center) at his November 2013 verbal commitment press conference with his father Chukwudi and aunt Chinyere Okafor-Conley. Jahlil and Chukwudi are wearing Duke University baseball caps to signify his commitment.

Jahlil's mother passed away when he was nine years old. After that, he was raised by his father, Chukwudi, and his aunt, Chinyere Okafor-Conley, whom he calls his "auntie mom." His father, Chuck, was also a basketball player, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall.

Jahlil has an older sister named Jalen and two younger brothers, Jamonte and Ashondre. He is a distant cousin of another NBA player, Emeka Okafor. Jahlil has Nigerian roots through his grandfather, who moved to the U.S. from Nigeria. Jahlil even visited Nigeria when he was in seventh grade.

Outside of basketball, Jahlil has some unique hobbies! He enjoys playing chess and can play both the saxophone and the tuba. In middle school, he even helped with the stage crew for a musical.

Jahlil has focused on his health and well-being. He has been practicing hot yoga since 2016. He used to be a vegan to help with knee swelling, but he changed his diet to make sure he got enough iron. He now has his own chef to help him eat healthy. After a sleep study, Jahlil was diagnosed with sleep apnea and uses a special machine to help him sleep better.

Images for kids

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  Okafor jumping for a rebound against Simeon Career Academy on January 26, 2013

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  Okafor dunking in the 2014 IHSA championship game

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  Okafor's game-winning dunk in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

See also

In Spanish: Jahlil Okafor para niños