For the first time after 1,367 days, former Duke basketball star big man Jahlil Okafor played in an NBA game on Tuesday night when the Indiana Pacers put him on the court against the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Okafor, who was selected third overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, only played in three minutes and recorded just a point and assist with zero shots taken in a 128-115 loss, but it was still a memorable night for him and his fans.
Okafor was signed by the Pacers to a 10-day contract this week, allowing him to see action again in the NBA. Before Tuesday’s meeting with the Knicks, Okafor’s most recent NBA outing came in 2021 when he was still with the Detroit Pistons.
“He can rebound. He’s a guy that can score, he can finish,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Okafor, who played and won a national title with Duke basketball in the 2014-15 college basketball campaign (h/t Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star).
“This is a great opportunity for him,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re taking care of our own here. There were other options, but we elected to bring somebody on board that has been with us for the entirety of the Mad Ants season,” Carlisle added.
Duke basketball shouts out Jahlil Okafor amid news of NBA comeback
After the news of Okafor signing with the Pacers, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Duke men’s basketball gave him a shout-out.
Big Jah! @JahlilOkafor https://t.co/2eklash5IT
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 11, 2025
Before inking a short deal with the Pacers, Okafor was dominating in the G League with the Indiana Mad Ants. In 15 games with the Mad Ants this season, the 29-year-old Okafor averaged 18.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 66.9 percent from the floor.
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