Okafor, recovering from surgery, says he's ready to return to court
Jahlil Okafor of the 76ers told a Duke University podcast Friday that he hoped to be cleared for basketball activity over the weekend.
Jahlil Okafor of the 76ers told a Duke University podcast Friday that he hoped to be cleared for basketball activity over the weekend.
The 6-foot-11, 275-pounder out of Duke had surgery on March 22 to repair the meniscus in his right knee. The injury cost the NBA all-rookie selection the final 23 games of the season. A CAT scan on March 8 revealed the tear.
"I'm getting anxious," Okafor said on the podcast hosted by Jon Scheyer, a Duke assistant coach. "I got in trouble a week and a half ago for going out there and shooting. The biggest problem is my knee feels really good. So I want to go out there and shoot."
He is taking two classes and rehabilitating at Duke this summer.
It's unclear whether he'll be a Sixer next season. The Sixers are shopping Okafor and center Nerlens Noel to other NBA teams. The franchise is expected to trade the player who brings them a better deal.
Sources have said that the team would prefer to trade Okafor. The Sixers expect to get equal value in return, but it could be hard to do that when every team knows they are looking to unload the big man.
Okafor, who played in 53 games, was the team's leading scorer at 17.5 points per game last season. He became the first Sixers rookie since Allen Iverson in the 1996-97 season to lead the team in scoring over a minimum of 50 games. He also averaged 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and shot 50.8 percent from the field.
The new VP
Happy with his job at the NBA office, Ned Cohen said he wasn't looking for employment with one of the league's 30 franchises.
All that changed once the Sixers offered him a job as associate vice president and chief of staff shortly after the franchise named Bryan Colangelo president of basketball operations in April.
"The organization, the ownership, the leadership here, and the opportunities are really what made this something that I'm so grateful for and couldn't be more excited to get started with," said Cohen, who served as the NBA's associate vice president of basketball operations.
The Greensboro, N.C., native started his new post on June 1.
Ingram's audition
Former Duke swingman Brandon Ingram will work out for the Sixers on Monday. The Sixers have the first, 24th, and 26th picks in the June 23 draft. Ingram and former Louisiana State power forward Ben Simmons are the leading candidates to be selected first overall. Ingram had dinner with the Sixers' brass on Sunday.
Former Westtown School center Georgios Papagianni worked out for Sixers representatives and other NBA personnel Sunday at Temple. The 7-foot-2, 276-pound center plays in Greece for Panathinaikos B.C.