Philadelphia 76ers News: Jahlil Okafor Had Gun Pointed to His Face in a Previous Altercation with Heckler
The Philadelphia 76ers still couldn't buy a victory, digging themselves a deeper hole as the season progresses. Sunday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies saw them leading by six halfway through the fourth quarter. But just like all the other 17 games they've played so far, they just couldn't hold on to it. As a result, they're now 0-18 and are tied for the worst start in the history of the NBA.
But if there's one bright spot amid all this losing and blaming, it should be rookie center/forward Jahlil Okafor. The young star from Duke was selected by the Sixers with the third overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. He's playing great and should be Philly's cornerstone and franchise player in the years to come.
However, the positivity he brings is only seen on the court, not off it. Okafor became a subject of news after allegedly punching and getting into a physical altercation with a heckler outside a nightclub in Boston. The 19-year-old engaged in the brawl after several people were heckling him, uttering statements saying that his team sucked and that he was threatened in a couple of occasions.
Although there have been no charges filed as of the moment, reports are coming in that the budding star may actually have been involved in similar incidents in the past. In fact, a report from CSN Philly revealed that he may have been threatened with a gun in his face in a previous altercation in October. According to the report, Okafor and an unnamed companion were outside a club in Old City when they engaged in an argument with two people who were inside a vehicle. The argument became heated that one of the individuals inside the vehicle pulled out a gun. Okafor did not give any statement about the incident but the same report is saying that an investigation is underway.
Another report from Ananth Pandian of CBS Sports came in claiming that Okafor was also stopped by police earlier this month after being caught driving over the speed limit near Ben Franklin Bridge.
Obviously, having a couple of encounters with the law won't do any good for this young player who's expected to be a leader of the team in the near future. With the team losing big time this season and the future of young star Joel Embiid uncertain, the Sixers couldn't afford another bad news like this.
