Jalil Okafor (born December 15, 1995 in Fort Smith, Arkansas) is an American/Nigerian professional basketball player who plays for the CBA Zhejiang Guangsha Men's Basketball Team as a big forward/center forward.
He joined Duke University in 2014 and won the NCAA Championship with the team in the 2014–15 season. He entered the NBA through the draft in 2015 and played for the 76ers, Nets, Pelicans, Pistons and Hawks, and was named to the all-rookie first team in the 2015-16 season. In 2022, he joined the CBA Zhejiang Guangsha Men's Basketball Team.
The atmosphere in the Liaoning Stadium is warm, facing the defender, holding the ball in one hand, starting, half turning, flicking the wrist, the ball in the air along the established trajectory of the net...
On the evening of March 2, Okafor won his first point in the CBA on the other side of the ocean with the offensive method he was best at. After completing the score, Okafor remained calm as water, returning to his own penalty area for the next round. That night he scored 16 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes to help Guangsha beat Sichuan 106-57.
The frustrated genius, who was once regarded as "Duncan's successor", cannot convince himself to become a salted fish who has lost the desire to win, and he is accustomed to winning, and he is preparing to tear off his "parallel goods" label in the mysterious East and start a new career.
01
The fateful old days of exploring flowers
Time back to 2012, Chinese player Zhou Qi won the rebounding king and the block king in the U17 men's basketball World Youth Championship, and for a time the reputation of the "big devil" shook the river and the lake, which caused Chinese fans to be very excited. It was also on top of that tournament that another talented big man attracted the attention of many Chinese fans, who averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game, helping the United States to win gold and win the MVP. That was Okafor, a sophomore from Whitney High School.
Two years later, Okafor was ranked first in all three major U.S. high school student player rankings. As he wished to enter the prestigious Duke University, he and his teammate Tyes at the National Youth Congress of the United States. Jones and Winslow meet again at the Blue Devils. This year's NCAA League was a confrontation between the two super interiors of Okafor and Towns, and the Kentucky Wildcats, led by Towns and Booker, maintained a record of total victory to impact the championship championship, but unexpectedly fell to Wisconsin. Okafor and the Blue Devils advanced steadily, and they lifted the championship as they wished. Duke coach K Sr. praised his disciples: "I think Okafor will be an All-Star, he will be a big double-double player at a higher level, and hopefully someone will recognize that he is the best player in this rookie." 」 ”
After his freshman year, Okafor decided to enter the NBA Draft early. In the 2015 draft, Okafor was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as a flower probing.
In the 2015-16 season, the beginning of Okafor's career was a wave of 18 consecutive losses, this losing streak length can already be ranked to the second in the history of a single-season losing streak, in a glance at the head of the losing streak, Okafor personally handed over good data, the first game cut 26 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, since the 1963-64 NBA statistics, the debut can get more than 26 points of the center only "Skyhook" Abdul Abdul alone.
Okafor in his rookie season continued to play close to 20+10 on the court, but unfortunately the 76ers' defeat continued. With 10 wins and 72 losses, Okafor has lost more goals in a single season than he has ever done in his previous life combined. To make matters worse, his rookie season, in which he played only 53 games, was reimbursed for surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee.
As the impact of injuries and the knowledge of his opponents deepened, his weaknesses were gradually magnified: on the offensive end, he was very versatile and could catch up with Duncan, but his defense was less than one-tenth of Duncan's, and his slow pace, weak defensive skills, and the damage to his athleticism caused by major injuries hindered him. 76ers, Nets, Pelicans, Pistons and Eagles. In the past 6 years, he has changed 5 teams in the NBA, no matter where he goes, he can only do scraps, and no team is willing to give him tactics and team status, even if he is only 26 years old.
"I feel like I want to continue playing basketball and chasing the honor of being an athlete." This is the most common phrase Spoken by Okafor, who does not accept defeat. In a confused career after his last layoff by the NBA, his agent gave him a piece of advice: "Marbury, Hudson, Adams... A lot of people have had success in China, why can't you? With this in mind, the former detective Huaxiu, who played 247 games in seven seasons in the NBA and had a career of 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, set his sights on the "mysterious" East, a team called Zhejiang Guangsha.
Born in the lower Mississippi River, Okafor came to the banks of the Qiantang River in search of a new target.
02
Looking forward to proving the new aid of Zhejiang
When Zhejiang Guangsha officially announced the signing of Okafor, everyone from the players to the fans was in a state of shock. The third stage of the CBA has not yet begun, and Guangsha, which is already at the top of the hero list, has obtained a brand new broken city mallet.
In the 6 games that Guangsha has lost so far this season, two of them are against Liaoning, and the iron-blooded defense of the Liaoning team has always given Guangsha a headache. Hu Jinqiu is not a low-level single-handed master, he is characterized by a quick secondary attack and a steady shot, which is his biggest advantage, but also a reason for his further development. Guangsha's inner line is not bad but the thickness is not enough, Xu Zhonghao will be pleasantly surprised in ordinary games, but in the face of strong teams, it is not enough to be a good team, and the foreign aid Jones, who lacks stability, can not send charcoal in the snow.
Okafor, who is 2 meters 11 meters tall, weighs 122 kilograms, and has an arm span of 2 meters 26, has a near-perfect interior body, and has solid basic skills, rich offensive means, and close to full points in basket skills, especially good at hooking and playing boards near the basket. His presence on the inside could better liberate Hu Jinqiu. Even though in the NBA it was criticized for moving too slowly and defending poorly, it was enough in the CBA. From the perspective of technology and demand, Okafor and Guangsha can be called a hit-and-go. But as Guangsha head coach Wang Bo said after Okafor's debut: "There were no games in the summer before Okafor came, and after coming to China, it was isolated and caught up with the Spring Festival holiday, and there were not many games. "It's both a calm performance and a signal of anticipation.
Okafor himself is very happy to come to Zhejiang: "I am very happy to come to Hangzhou and come to Guangsha. I'm trying to fit in with this team and be a part of it. ”
Prior to the third stage, Guangsha ranked third in the league standings with a record of 22 wins and 6 losses. There is no doubt that they are seen by many as one of the potential champions. At present, the CBA regular season has entered the end, the third stage is only 10 rounds of games, Guangsha team as one of the few teams to introduce foreign aid during this period, the fact has been in front of them, their goal is to fight against Liaoning, Guangdong, Shanghai and other league teams; their goal is the CBA champion.
"Coming here, everything is new to me." For Okafor, coming to Guangsha is undoubtedly a new starting point. The former genius was reluctant to accept the script of injury, and he also wanted to step onto the pitch and show off his best skills in the penalty area. 'I can't wait to play anymore. At the mention of the game, he immediately showed an expression of anticipation. We also have reason to look forward to the fact that Okafor and Guangsha, who aspire to win the championship, will write a good story of mutual achievement.
Producer: Guo Biwen
Review: Tang Yihong
Sports Daily reporter: Lu Yingjian