A FORMER first-round pick has proven that nobody is guaranteed success in the NBA.
Jahlil Okafor, 27, recently joined his ninth team in eight years since turning pro.
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Okafor has 247 NBA appearances to his nameCredit: Getty
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He has represented Nigeria at the OlympicsCredit: Getty
After growing up between Arkansas and Illinois, he eventually headed for Duke where he immediately became a star.
During his sole college season, Okafor was named an All-ACC First-Teamer, the ACC Rookie of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year, and a Consensus First-Team All-American.
Having won the NCAA Championship, he declared for the 2015 NBA Draft and was selected third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Okafor’s NBA career got off to a relatively solid start, starting 48 of his 53 appearances as a rookie and averaging 17.5 points, 1.2 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game.
However, these all proved to be career highs as his career slowly fell apart in the coming years.
After starting 33 games in his second season, Okafor was traded to the Brooklyn Nets shortly into the 2017 season.
He averaged just 12.6 minutes per game in Brooklyn and hit free agency after making 26 appearances from the bench.
Two years with the New Orleans Pelicans followed, starting 33 of 89 games in what was somewhat of a return to form.
But it wasn’t the beginning of a fairytale second wind, with Okafor joining the Detroit Pistons for the 2020 season, before being traded to and subsequently waived by the Nets the following September.
A brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks followed before he headed to China for a fresh start, signing with the Zhejiang Lions.
This too did not last, with the NBA G League’s Mexico City Capitanes acquiring his rights that September before he headed for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México.
Okafor was later traded to the Delaware Blue Coats in February, however, he never played for the team.
Now he is set to head overseas once more, this time having joined Spain’s Casademont Zaragoza.
The Liga ACB team finished last season 13th out of 18.
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Okafor earned over $21.5million during his time in the NBACredit: Getty
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