Jahlil Okafor is a professional basketball player. Jahlil Okafor currently plays for the Chinese Basketball Association’s Zhejiang Lions. Okafor began his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers and spent six seasons with three different NBA teams before joining the Chinese League.
He earned high school national player of the year honors from McDonald’s, Parade, and USA Today while playing basketball for Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Illinois.
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Early Life & Lifestyle
Jahlil Okafor was born on December 15, 1995, in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Jahlil was born to Dacresha Lanett Benton, an African-American and European-American mother, and Chukwudi Obika Okafor, a Nigerian-American of Igbo heritage father.
Chukwudi’s parents formed a bond after meeting in Fort Smith, Arkansas when he was playing basketball for a regional community college.
Furthermore, he spent his boyhood at the crossroads of his mother’s home in Moffett, Oklahoma, and his father’s home in Chicago.
His father played power forward for West Texas A&M University, Westark Community College, and Carl Albert State College, while his mother was a basketball player.
His mother was also a college basketball player, and they both had basketball scholarships at Carl Albert State College at the same time.
Demise
Okafor, too, experienced a period of depression after losing his mother when he was only nine years old.
After two weeks of fighting bronchitis, his mother succumbed to a collapsed lung and died.
Okafor then moved permanently to Chicago’s South Side, where he was raised by his father and aunt Chinyere Okafor-Conley, whom he refers to as his “auntie mom.”
He also has three siblings: Jalen, his older sister, and Jamonte and Ashondre, his younger brothers.
Okafor, on the other hand, has fueled his ambition with his unwavering focus and tenacity.
Body Dimensions
Assertive and second to none, Jahlil Okafor was born in 1995, and assessing his birth date, he is 26 years old.
Addressing his physical stats, he stands at a soaring height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), and his body weight is around 270 lb (122 kg).
The center player has a wingspan of 7’3.”
Moreover, he retains a massive frame with stability that periodically boosts him to solidify a post position.
And his post-footwork is exceptional in correspondence to his size; he’s remarkably quick on his feet when he’s adjacent to the hoop.
Facts of Jahlil Okafor
| Full Name | Jahlil Obika Okafor |
| Birth Date | December 15, 1995 |
| Birth Place | Fort Smith, Arkansas |
| Nick Name | Jahlil Okafor |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Nigerian-American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Education |
|
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Father’s Name | Chukwudi Obika Okafor |
| Mother’s Name | Dacresha Lanett Benton |
| Siblings | Three (Jalen, Jamonte & Ashondre) |
| Age | 26 years old |
| Height | 6 feet 10 inches |
| Weight | 122 Kilogram (270 lb) |
| Jersey no. | 15 – Zhejiang Lions |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Round: 1 / 3rd overall pick |
| League | NBA & Overseas |
| Active Years | 2015–present |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Wife | Lauren Oglensky |
| Kids | None |
| Net Worth | $7 million |
| Position | Center |
| Current Team | Zhejiang Lions |
| Social Media | Twitter, Facebook |
| Merch | Paperback, Jersey |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Net Worth & Salary
Jahlil Okafor has a net worth of $7 million.
Addressing the players’ salary, in the 2021-22 season, Okafor earned $2,130,023 with the Brooklyn Nets.
During his eternity with the Nets, he made 13.12 percent better than in 2020-21. And he’s the 47th best-paid center in the respective season.
In the 2020-21 season with Detroit Pistons, he accumulated $1,882,867 whereas, in 2019-20, he earned $1,702,486 with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Accordingly, in 2017-18, he earned $4,995,120 with the Brooklyn Nets.
Hence, from 2016-to 2017, he amassed $4,788,840 with the Philadelphia 76ers, and from 2015-to 16, his initial earning was $4,582,680 with the 76ers.
Basketball Career
Career in high school
In Chicago, Illinois, Jahlil attended Whitney M. Young High School.
In the interim, he was named one of ESPNU’s best 10 young players in their respective national divisions.
During his freshman season, Okafor was regarded as Chicago’s second-best collegiate basketball prospect.
As a result, Okafor was chosen to the Class 4A All-State first team by the Chicago Sun-Times.
He was also named to the Chicago Tribune’s second team All-State squad and the Associated Press’s Class 4A second team.
In June of his junior year, Sports Illustrated named him one of the “Future Game Changers.”
The Chicago Sun-Times named Okafor to the 2013 All-Public League first team, and in February 2013, he was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year.
He had 35 points and 13 rebounds in a win over St. Rita of Cascia High School during his senior season, and the team earned their first sectional designation since 2009.
In April 2014, he was named co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds.
In April 2014, he was named first-team All-American by MaxPreps and named Athlete of the Year by the Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV for the 2013-14 season.
College Life
Jahlil Okafor played one season of collegiate basketball for Duke University. He was named Preseason Player of the Year by CBSSports.com and NBCSports.com during that time.
Okafor was selected ACC Freshman of the Week after going 25-for-30 on field goals in his first three games.
He scored a season-high 28 points against the Boston Celtics in January 2015, earning him his sixth ACC Rookie of the Week award and his first ACC Player of the Week award.
Similarly, the United States Basketball Writers Association named him National Freshman of the Year and to the 2015 USBWA Freshman All-American Team.
Okafor declared for the 2015 NBA Draft in April 2015, following stellar high school and collegiate careers.
Career Opportunities
76ers of Philadelphia
In the 2015 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Okafor with the third overall choice.
He had 26 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in his 76ers debut game against the Boston Celtics in October 2015.
As a result, he recorded his first career double-double against the Chicago Bulls in November 2015, with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
He labeled the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in an NBA exhibition named Rising Star Challenge in January 2016.
As a result of his fifth-place performance in the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year voting, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
He scored a season-high 26 points against the Washington Wizards during the 2016-17 season with the 76ers.
He set a new season-high with 28 points and ten rebounds against the New York Knicks later that year.
Nets of Brooklyn
In December 2017, Okafor dealt with the Brooklyn Nets.
In his first game against the Toronto Raptors on December 15, he had 10 points and four rebounds.
The following season, he became an unrestricted free agency after scoring a team-high 21 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Pelicans of New Orleans
In August of 2018, Okafor joined the New York Pelicans.
He set a season-high with 17 points in 13 minutes of action against the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2018.
In January 2019, he set a career-high with six blocks against the Detroit Pistons.
As a result, he scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a thrilling overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons in January 2020.
Pistons of Detroit
In December 2020, Jahlil signed with the Detroit Pistons.
He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on September 4, 2021, after some stints with the Pistons, and the Nets waived him.
On September 22, 2021, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks, but the Hawks waived him soon after.
Lions of Zhejiang
After spending time with four different NBA teams, Okafor signed with the Zhejiang Lions of China.
Then, he signed with the Lions in February 2022, and he’s presently playing for the team.
US National team
Okafor played at the 2011 FIBA Americas Under 16 Championship and made decent field goal attempts and logged 18 points and 14 rebounds which oversaw the team with a gold medal.
Thus, he was labeled tournament MVP at the 2012 FIBA Under 17 World Cup and the 2012 FIBA U-17 World Cup for the team that won the gold medal.
Therefore, he logged 17 points and added seven rebounds in the gold medal game.
Okafor, with the team, won the third gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship and earned the All-Tournament team.
Nigerian National Team
Being of mixed ethnicity, Okafor represented the Nigerian national basketball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In the meantime, he logged 9 points in three group stage games.
Girlfriend
Jahlil Okafor has a gorgeous bikini model, Lauren Oglensky as his girlfriend.
Furthermore, Lauren is a 2014 graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in Communications.
They seem like a perfect couple and relish each other’s companionship to the utmost aspect, which could be acknowledged via the pictures they are specked.
Moreover, further comprising information about one of the graceful couples is inaccessible as they’d not prefer to disclose most of their beautiful saga.
Social Media Presence
His Twitter handle is @JahlilOkafor His Facebook handle is JahlilOkafor.
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Street Fight
Okafor was involved in the fight outside an Old City nightclub after the verbal contention with a heckler in November 2015.
In the meantime, he was a player for the Philadelphia 76ers; he strived to punch the driver through an open driver’s side window.
According to the released video, Okafor pushed and punched the men during the argument.
Moreover, he was subsequently involved in a second fight again with a heckler outside a Boston nightclub.
After hours of the newly released footage in public, the 76ers declared their decision to suspend Okafor for two games.
Injury
Okafor had to encounter bunches of horrible injuries during his basketball journey to date.
In March 2016, he was ruled out for the remaining season due to a meniscus tear in his right knee.
Likewise, in March 2017, with the Philadelphia 76ers, he was again ruled out for the remaining season due to right knee soreness.
