One day after getting their first win of the season, the 76ers announced they will be without one of their best players for the next two games.
The team has suspended rookie center Jahlil Okafor following a string of off-the-court issues. The ban was announced Wednesday. Okafor will sit out Wednesday's game against the Knicks and Saturday's game against the Nuggets. He will be eligible to return for Monday's game vs. the Spurs.
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Philly's first selection (third overall) in this year's draft has been in the news quite a bit recently for. First, it was learned he was involved in a street fight Nov. 25 in Boston; then, video surfaced of him being in another fight in the city. It also was revealed that he had been stopped by police for driving 108 mph on a bridge in Philadelphia.
"Jahlil is a very important part of our organization and our future. While we are disappointed with his recent actions, we have faith in him as a valued member of the Sixers. We will provide the necessary resources to support him on his journey and will do our part to help him succeed both on and off the court," the team said in its statement. Those resources include the team providing Okafor with a security guard.
Okafor leads the Sixers in scoring with 17.2 points per game and is averaging 8.1 rebounds. Philadelphia beat the Lakers 103-91 on Tuesday for its first win of the season after 18 losses.