Things have been pretty rough lately for Jahlil Okafor. The Philadelphia 76ers star rookie got into a street fight in Boston and reportedly had a gun pulled on him in Philly about a month ago. Now Okafor will reportedly be accompanied by a security guard when he goes out.
via ESPN:
The request for security came from Okafor’s handlers, who asked the 76ers to make a security guard available to their first-round draft pick out of Duke. The Sixers did not return a phone call seeking comment, but two sources said the club will honor the request.
“A lot of teams do that for their players anyway,” a source close to Okafor said. “So from now on, the Sixers are going to have someone at his disposal full-time.”
Okafor, who leads all NBA rookies with an average of 17.5 points, took responsibility for his misbehavior in a series of tweets Sunday. Those close to Okafor have let him know in no uncertain terms that he cannot keep putting himself in positions where negative things can occur.
“We’re all over him,” one person said. “It’s tough love and support. We’re telling him he has to learn from these things.”
This is definitely a smart move. You gotta protect your asset.
