The Philadelphia 76ers announced in a statement today they would be suspending rookie Jahlil Okafor for two games, effective immediately.
https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/672184591290011652/photo/1
Former New York Times scribe Howard Beck reports that Jahlil considers the suspension “tough love.”
Sixers coach Brett Brown on Okafor: "He's ashamed. He's embarrassed." Calls the suspension "tough love."
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) December 2, 2015
But coach Brett Brown tells Beck the organization will support him and help him as both parties try to move on.
Brett Brown on Okafor: "We will support him. He is ours. And we will move on."
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) December 2, 2015
Could team have done more? : "Maybe. I think everybody now steps back and looks at what we have to do better. … https://t.co/aev1XoR6TV
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) December 2, 2015
Could team have done more? : "Maybe. I think everybody now steps back and looks at what we have to do better. … https://t.co/aev1XoR6TV
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) December 2, 2015
Sixers beat writer for Caulkins Media, Tom Moore, added that the surfacing of today’s second video is what led to the suspension.
#Sixers Brett Brown: Okafor suspension due to video surfaced today and 'can show him tough love. He's ours.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
It seems Okafor did not tell coach Brown about the second incident when he told him about the night in Boston.
#Sixers Brown: Okafor did not reveal second incident when he initially told coach about fight in Boston. 'he is embarrassed.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
Okafor is embarrassed and surprised by the suspension. Brown isn’t sure if the NBA will take further action.
#Sixers Brown: Okafor was surprised by suspension. Coach not sure if #NBA will do also act on rookie's actions.
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
#Sixers Brown: 'I don't look at (Okafor suspension) as a terrible thing. It's a good wake up call.' #NBA
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
#Sixers Brown: Possible team could have done more. 'This instance is bigger than me.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
Like Okafor’s friend and NBA peer, Jabari Parker, noted earlier this week, Brown thinks Okafor’s mistakes are the result of money, immaturity due to age, and the shock of all the losing in his rookie season after leading Duke to an NCAA National Championship in his freshman year.
#Sixers Brown: 'I feel like I've come upon a 19-year-old that has come into money and is used to winning. I do not feel betrayed.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
#Sixers Brown: 'I don't look at (Okafor suspension) as a terrible thing. It's a good wake up call.' #NBA
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
Moore also talked to Okafor’s teammates, Isaiah Canaan and JaKarr Sampson about Okafor:
#Sixers Sampson on Okafor: 'He's a great kid. I don't think this reflects him as a person. Of course (not having him) is going to hurt us.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
#Sixers Canaan on repeated Okafor incidents: 'We try not to think about it. People are always trying to bring you down.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
#Sixers Canaan on Okafor's recent play: 'He's 19 years old and probably never dealt with anything of this magnitude.'
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) December 2, 2015
We’ll likely have more as this story progresses, but we also want to remind readers once again that Jahlil Okafor is still just 19 years old. The videos that have surfaced are pretty serious transgressions, but before castigating him as a punk or using him as a referendum on coddled multi-millionaire athletes, try and empathize a little bit with his situation. He’s very young — he’ll turn 20 in 13 days — and he’s still learning. That’s not excusing the deplorable incidents captured on film in Boston, but it’s a reminder that, like all things in life, it’s not black and white.
We really hope he avoids this level of trouble for the remainder of a long and successful career. By almost all accounts, the Boston fights, the speeding, the fake ID and the incident in a club are all consequences of age and don’t sum up the entirety of the man.
